New Delhi: ‘ Ghus ke maar’ (go in with your punches) is an instruction Indian boxing coaches often give their boxers during bouts. But when Priya Ghanghas is in the ring, it is quite the opposite. The coaches in her corner have to tell her to hold her fire, step back and fight from a distance.
In the first round at the CWG, I was up against a shorter boxer from Scotland (Niamh Mitchell) and I went all out from the first round, but I lost that round. Priya is perhaps the most hard-hitting and attacking boxer in the promising Indian women’s line-up heading to the Asian Games in Japan. She packs power, aggression and a fighter’s attitude into her game. Her close-range attacking style has been shaped by watching boxers from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. She is so hooked to their style that she watches videos of their bouts on a loop, to the point where their approach has become almost instinctive for her in the ring. I also have a lot of expectations from myself, especially after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games. “I like to fight at close range, but my coaches tell me that I am better off fighting from long range. When I am boxing closer to my rival, I hit them but maybe also take a few punches. I followed it and beat her in the next two rounds. In the final against Marie Al Ahmadieh of Canada, Priya had to show restraint after losing the first round, but she made a stunning comeback to win the gold medal. She is still learning how to balance her aggression with good footwork and a disciplined game.
“This is my first Asian Games and I am only 20 years old, representing the country, so people have expectations from me.
It has given me confidence,” Priya told HT after training at SAI’s NIS Patiala centre. The coaches then told me to fight from a distance.
