CHENNAI: The dream that his father once nurtured is now being continued through Vishvanath Suresh, unfolding step by step. The 21-year-old, son of a former boxer-turned-tailor, won gold in the 50kg category at the recently concluded Asian Boxing Championships, becoming the only Indian male to reach the podium.In his bid to win the title, the Tamil Nadu boxer produced a decisive moment in the quarter-finals, defeating reigning world champion and world number one Sanzar Tashkenbhai. In his first major senior victory, Vishwanath showed amazing consistency, winning every fight by unanimous decision.“It’s a very big achievement and this medal will boost my confidence ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. I performed very consistently and in the quarter-finals I didn’t think my opponent was a world champion. If I did, I would probably face stress. To me, he’s just another fighter and I’m confident in my ability.“After every round (quarter round), my confidence grew and in the last round, I knocked him down. Soon after the results were announced, I knew I was going to win the gold medal,” Indian Army Havel guru Vishwanath told TOI.Behind this achievement is the strong foundation laid by his father Suresh, who guided him towards the sport. A former national-level medalist and a promising boxer in the 1990s, Suresh gave up his ambition and took responsibility. After passing on the basics to his son, he started looking for the right platform to nurture his talent.The journey is not easy. Vishwanath was of slight stature and faced several rejections, including from the Madras Engineer Group in Bangalore. But perseverance opened doors for him and he was finally selected for the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune in 2018. He earned his first major recognition when he won gold at the 2022 Asian Youth Championships.
