Fighting the odds: Nishant overcomes tricky injury to assure India a medal at world boxing

A year ago Nishant Dev could hardly lift his right hand, let alone think of throwing a punch. His shoulder had been causing him pain since 2019, but it gradually became unbearable.

"First I thought it was normal pain because of training but it reached a point when I was popping four to five painkillers and yet there was no relief. I was not able to sleep at night. Hath uthne band ho gaye (It reached a point when I was not able to raise my hand)," says Nishant, 22.

Nishant is now pummeling opponents in the ring with the same hand at the world championships in Tashkent. On Friday, he will be looking to book a berth in the final of 71kg against Kazakhstan's Aslanbek Shymbergenov -- the reigning Asian Champion. Nishant, Deepak Bhoria (51kg) and Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), have already assured India of podium finishes and a best-ever performance in the world championships.

Nishant has given emphatic displays in the tournament so far, winning three fights with unanimous verdicts and in one bout, the referee had to stop the contest. In the quarter-final, Nishant was relentless in attack and gave his best performance against Terry Jorge Cuellar of Cuba, the country that was once a boxing powerhouse.

It is a complete turnaround for young Nishant who impressed on his world championships debut in Serbia in 2021 and bowed out just a round before assuring himself of a medal. But after the high, came the injury and it kept him out of action for almost a year.

The diagnosis revealed that it was an old wound that had resurfaced. When he was just nine years old, Nishant had met with an accident. He fell from his terrace in Karnal and was badly hurt. A rod was inserted to help mend his broken bones. He recovered from that incident and took up boxing under coach Surender Chauhan and inspired by his uncle who was a professional boxer, but the injury kept flaring up over the years as the rod would cause some infection from time to time.

"After the accident, the treatment was not done properly. Gradually It led to infection and the formation of pus. Doctors told me that I would immediately need surgery," says Nishant.

"It was a very tough period. I went through several tests before the correct diagnoses happened and the surgery was done in March. I went through my rehabilitation at the Inspire Institute of Sport. I used to spend three hours with physio every day and almost put on 10kg. I was having doubts about whether I would be able to fight again in the ring. Even if I come back, will I have enough power in my punches? But my family, and coaches stood like a rock behind me and gave me the courage and confidence to return," said Nishant who trains at IIS, Bellary, and represents Karnataka.

After 10 months, he was competing at the National Championships in Hisar in January and bounced back spectacularly, winning the national title for the first time. That performance paved the way for a return to national camp and then he topped the selection process.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.