AI Generated Summary
- Two young boxers from the city, Navroop Singh and Bhupinder Singh, have strengthened Amritsar’s reputation as a centre of sporting talent with a series of notable achievements in professional and amateur boxing.
- At the Senior National Boxing Championship held in Noida in January, Bhupinder won a bronze medal in the 60-kg category.
- Once selected, he will become the 139th trainee from the Khalsa College Boxing Centre to secure employment in a government department.
Two young boxers from the city, Navroop Singh and Bhupinder Singh, have strengthened Amritsar’s reputation as a centre of sporting talent with a series of notable achievements in professional and amateur boxing.
Navroop recently extended his unbeaten professional record after defeating Cameroon’s Jean Junior Messi Elime in a welterweight contest. The victory was particularly significant as the Cameroonian boxer entered the bout with eight professional wins from 10 contests, including five knockout victories.
The latest success marked Navroop’s third consecutive win since turning professional. He had earlier emerged victorious in bouts held in Amritsar and Hyderabad.
Having taken up boxing while studying in Class VI, Navroop has steadily progressed through the competitive ranks. He completed his graduation from Khalsa College earlier this year and has now secured admission to a Physical Education degree programme at Guru Nanak Dev University.
Navroop, a resident of Ghanupur Kale village near Amritsar, comes from a modest background. His father works as a labourer in Dubai to support the family. Alongside professional contests, the young boxer continues to participate in amateur boxing, the format followed at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other major international tournaments.
Meanwhile, Bhupinder Singh, a final-year undergraduate student at Khalsa College, has also earned recognition through strong performances at national and university-level competitions.
His recruitment with the Sashastra Seema Bal is reportedly in its final stage. Once selected, he will become the 139th trainee from the Khalsa College Boxing Centre to secure employment in a government department.
Bhupinder began training in boxing in Class VII while studying at Khalsa College Senior Secondary School. He later joined the college boxing centre after enrolling in the undergraduate programme.
At the Senior National Boxing Championship held in Noida in January, Bhupinder won a bronze medal in the 60-kg category. It was the only medal secured by the Punjab men’s team at the championship.
He had earlier won medals at the All India Inter-University Championship in 2023 and the Khelo India University Games in 2024. He has also represented the country as part of India’s senior national boxing squad.
Khalsa College Governing Council honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Chhina, Principal Dr Atam Singh Randhawa, and Dean and Head of Sports Dr Daljit Singh congratulated the two boxers and said their achievements had brought pride to the institution and the city.
Khalsa College Senior Secondary School Principal Sharanjit Singh Bhangu and Sports Head Rankirat Singh Sandhu also praised coach Baljinder Singh for identifying and nurturing young boxing talent.
Baljinder, who serves as an Assistant Sub-Inspector with Punjab Police, has been providing free coaching to aspiring boxers for several years. He began coaching in 1999 and was appointed as a boxing coach by the Punjab Sports Department during 2004-05.
The coach said his objective was not merely to train successful athletes but to help each student achieve greater heights than he had reached himself.
The Khalsa College Boxing Centre has built an impressive record over the past two decades. Apart from helping 138 boxers obtain government employment, the centre has produced more than 300 national-level competitors and seven international-level boxers.
