Alfiya Pathan: The making of Nagpur’s teenage boxing legend

By Moin Qazi*
It was a time when a lot of people didn’t realize women’s boxing wasn’t in the Olympics. It was always considered a male preserve. There was a strong belief that women’s bodies were somehow too frail to box. The decision to grant it recognition for Olympics inspired many enthusiastic women who were previously discouraged from considering combat sports as career. Girls thought that women could not box, but now there are role models for them. Some of the acclaimed female pugilists stepped into the ring and answered the bell even during pandemic times.
One of those who have defied the age old myths and dispelled the belief that women can’t be boxers is Nagpur’s dream girl, Alfiya Pathan. It is a rare coincidence that a girl from a conservative community overcomes such compelling odds to emerge on the boxing landscape as a shining comet. Alfiya recently won gold at the World Youth Boxing Championship organized by international Boxing Association (known as AIBA, after its French acronym). Alfiya clinched gold as she stunned a strong contender and European Youth Champion Moldova’s Daria Kozorez 5-0 in the final. For those glued to the screens during the match, Alifya looked in complete control throughout and made the opponent work hard with her swift movement and precise punches.
Shimmering in a gladiator-style maroon boxing outfit, Alfiya paused for dramatic effect .Then she strode toward the ring as horns blared. After the bell, Alfiya plowed through her opponent who bounced and scrambled as Alfiya stalked her round the perimeter with heavy, ominous solidity. She hammered her with long, straight blows that came in combinations, hard rights, double jabs hooks, uppercuts. Alfiya stayed close, trapping her opponent against the ropes to smother her punches. “I put on a good show. I used some good technique. I showed my skill, I showed my power”, recalls Alfiya as she got reunited with the family in Nagpur after almost six months on the circuit.
Like most Indian female boxers, Alfiya has been inspired by the legendary Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte, popularly known as Mary Kom. Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to win a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 in South Korea and also the first Indian woman boxer to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She is also a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award et al. A Hindi Biopic film ‘Mary Kom’ was made about her life.
Alfiya had a successful run with a series of consistent performances both in the national circuit and on the international stage. The daughter of Nagpur’s police employee Akram Pathan, she has been on a medal-winning spree since 2016 when she took the silver in 80 kg at the National School Games and added the gold from the Khelo India Games as well as the Junior Nationals. Alfiya’s crowning glory came when she beat Kazakhstan’s Diana Magauyayeva 4-1 to bag the gold at the Asian Junior Girls Championship 2019.
At 18 years old, Alfiya is a tremendous talent, which has imbued her with uncommon perspective and maturity. This is also the reason her backers have invested heavily in her development in and out of the ring.
In the nascent arena of women’s combat sports, boxing will always be Alfiya’s first love. She has been training since she was 13, seeking refuge from a childhood of poverty. She remains committed to getting better, while raising the profile and purses of women’s boxing. “She’s a very talented boxer, a very good athlete. She’s strong, she’s fast; she’s slick she’s smooth, she’s got all the tools. She has a keen eye for spotting her opponent’s soft spots and uses it to her advantage”, says Ganesh Purohit who has been her coach from day one. He adds, “Though she is only a junior in high school, she has all the prerequisites of athletic stardom”.
When she’s not boxing, Alfiya has the open, inquisitive face of a child, but in the ring it hardens into terrifying purposefulness. Many boxers are very fast or very strong. Alfiya is both. She has never lost, and it seems not to occur to her that she could. “I’m emotionless in the ring, because it’s my job I learned in boxing to control my attitude. I’m much focused. I know that this is a historic fight. I’m going to let the people see that women’s boxing is exciting just like the men.” said Alfiya.
Alfiya’s father Akram has been an important but intermittent figure in his daughter’s life. After at first forbidding her to box, her father has been escorting her during her boxing sojourns across the country. His moral support is the motivational oxygen that Alfiya constantly needs. Her elder brother Shakib Pathan is also a national -level boxer.
With so many younger talents emerging out of the shadows of May Kom , Alfiya also aspires to move into the senior category when she completes 19 and would then like to focus on leaving a lasting legacy for female boxing in the region.
—
*Development expert

Comments

Dev Anand ably acted as westernised, urban educated, modern hero, as also anti-hero

By Harsh Thakor On September 26th we celebrated the birth centenary of legendary actor Dev Anand. Dev Saab carved out a new epoch or made a path breaking contribution in portraying romanticism and action in Bollywood cinema, giving his style or mannerisms a new colour. Arguably no Bollywood star manifested glamour in such a dignified or serene manner or struck the core of an audience’s soul in romantic melodies. Possibly we missed this evergreen star being cast in a Hollywood film. Dev Anand is like an inextinguishable soul of Bollywood. Although not as artistic or intense as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor or Ashok Kumar ,Dev Anand surpassed them all for liveliness or flamboyance, with his performances radiating g energy on the screen, in realms rarely transcended. In his own right, Dev Saab, was a craftsman, like his classical contemporaries, with a characteristic composure. Perhaps never was a Bollywood star so suave, bubbling or charming as Dev Anand, who often looked like an Indian versi

Why Govt of India, Sangh Parivar want to stop the use of ‘India’? What's in a name?

By Ram Puniyani Coincidentally after the opposition parties came together to form INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance), the ruling BJP is desisting from the use of word India in official communiqués and its parent organizations RSS has issued a fatwa that only word Bharat should be used for our country. While inviting the representative’s participants of G 20, the President issued the invitation in the name of ‘Rashtrapati of Bharat’. Since then BJP is on the track of avoiding the use of the word India in all its pronouncements, saying this word smacks of colonial legacy since this word was given to the country by British colonial rulers. Mr. Hemant Biswa Sarma of BJP said that word India is part of the colonial legacy and should be removed. RSS chief and other functionaries have intensified this message. Speaking at a function at Guwahati Mr. Bhagwat, stated “We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak Eng

Significant step towards empowering and particularly engaging with informal workers

ActionAid note on drive to empower informal sector workers Odisha with the support of District Labour Department: *** The Odisha Unorganised Workers Social Security Board (OUWSSB) facilitated an Unorganized Workers Awareness Camp at the Red Cross Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The event took place in collaboration with the District Labour Department at Khordha, Centre for Child and Women Development and ActionAid Association. This informative event aimed at empowering informal sector workers by disseminating crucial information regarding their eligibility for various social security schemes provided by the Government of Odisha.

Grassroots NGO enlightens people of Kupwara with intricacies of Right to Information

J&K RTI Foundation and Founder Civil Rights Movement Kupwara note on how RTI Pend is empowering Kupwara with insights on Right to Information Act: *** RTI Pend, the grassroots initiative aimed at democratizing access to information, hosted its 2nd event in Kupwara. On the request of the Civil Rights Movement Kupwara, this event was tailored to enlighten the people of Kupwara with the intricacies of the Right to Information Act, presented in their local language and dialects. The event successfully bridged both offline and online participation, addressing queries on the spot and offering applicants practical solutions.

Abrogation of Art 370: Increasing alienation, relentless repression, simmering conflict

One year after the abrogation by the Central Government of Art. 370 in Kashmir, what is the situation in the Valley. Have the promises of peace, normalcy and development been realised? What is the current status in the Valley? Here is a detailed note by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties , “Jammu & Kashmir: One Year after Abrogation of Art. 370: Increasing Alienation, Relentless Repression, Simmering Conflict”:

Why originality of Gandhi's thoughts, example of his life still inspire people world over

By Moin Qazi* Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary reopens a familiar debate around his legacy every year. How could a frail man use his moral strength to galvanize 400 million Indians in their struggle for independence from the mighty British Empire? How did Gandhi inspire ordinary people to turn fear into fearlessness and anger into love? What were his tools for fighting colonialism? How could he inspire the world to embrace his philosophy of nonviolence? What can we learn from him today? And is he still relevant?

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

Sewer workers not given ESI cards that would ensure health benefits they need the most

A note by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), an organization working for the issues of sanitation workers in Delhi NCR, on right to life and dignity which still seems light years away for sewer workers: *** Exploitation of Sewer workers is not just a labour issue, but it is rooted in the caste system and cannot be separated from the historical socio-religious-cultural-economic exploitation of the Dalit community! Stated Mr. Y.S. Gill, Senior Journalist and Documentary Film maker in the press conference organised by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) in Integrated Social Initiatives (ISI), Lodhi Road, New Delhi on issues of sewer workers in Delhi. The press conference was attended by a number of community members, activists, members of the civil society, students etc.

Agro-biodiversity through seed identification, conservation, replication, crop selection

By Kuntal Mukherjee, Basant Yadav, Shivnath Yadav* This article is mainly based on a journey of the three of us since 2010 based on field experience, study of different articles, reflective journeys with local community based organisations, villagers and practitioners in Chhattisgarh. The slow growth of Agriculture in India with near stagnation in productivity since mid ‘80s in contrast to the remarkable growth during the green revolution period has come to the front as a great concern. In post WTO era Indian Agriculture has been witnessing structural changes, uncontrolled influx of agriculture goods and commodities from foreign countries due to open market nature. The gradual reduction in subsidies from internal production leads to increasing cost of production of agriculture produces at the farm gate. It causes gradual decrease in internal production as well as productivity and posing threats to small farm and stakeholders.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das* India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Search This Blog