Former world boxing champion KC Lekha's Dangal moment: Nothing more confidence-building than planting a punch on a man's face

KC Lekha won the gold medal at the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Boxing championship, along with boxer Mary Kom.

“For a sportsperson, there is no family, no relatives or political connections. Almost her/his entire life is dedicated to sport. I myself have spent most of my life in sports hostels and camps across the country,” says KC Lekha, 42.

The one-time world boxing champion and 2021 Dhyan Chand awardee works as an under-secretary (finance) with the Kerala government now. But there was a time, not long ago, when she was putting opponents in their place; both inside the boxing ring and outside it - she had to overcome opposition to the idea of women competing in contact sports multiple times over her 14-year career (2001-2014) as a boxer.

The road to becoming a champion, however, was not easy for Lekha. Her father was a daily-wage farmer who struggled to make ends meet. “There were days when I went to school without food or hardly even the energy to walk, let alone play sport.”

Nonetheless, her father stood by her dreams. “Not many thought I would become a sportsperson one day. I was quite a chubby girl in school and all my classmates used to tease me saying if I ever competed in sports, I will be the first from the last.”

Eventually, Lekha started training - no, not as a boxer, but as an athlete, because “I had never seen boxing even on television.” Her speciality in athletics was ‘throwing events’ - shot put, discus and javelin.

The turning point came when Lekha got an opportunity to take part in a 60-day national boxing camp in Bengaluru in 2001 while studying for graduation, based on her physical fitness as an athlete. (She met Mary Kom for the first time at that camp. Their bond developed into a sisterly affection, which she cherishes even to this day.)

The transition into a boxer, however, was not easy. “I had never seen boxing in my life. When I saw boxers getting punched in their face at the camp, I nearly fainted. I would run away and sit in some corner and cry, wondering why did I even come here? Even my coach was sure that I was not going to pursue boxing after the camp. He was like ‘Lekha wapas nahi ayega’ (Lekha will not come back).”

Then what changed her mind?

“The training itself.” Every female boxer at the camp goes through what Lekha describes as their ‘Dangal moment’ when they are asked to spar against a male boxer as a part of toughening up. “There is nothing more rewarding and confidence-building than planting a punch on the face of a man,” laughs Lekha.

To score a point in boxing, pugilists have to land their blows on any of the three target areas of their opponents—face, chest, abdomen— directly, without any obstruction.

“Every time I deliver a clean blow and win a point, I will think about all the taunts and teasing I endured in school as a girl,” says Lekha, who has represented India 20 times. “It was like smashing patriarchy on its face.”

The fitness regimen of a boxer can be gruelling and intense, depending on whether a player is scheduled to take part in a tournament immediately or not. “Workout sessions can go up to six to seven hours, every day, prior to a match,” says Lekha. “There is also a great variation in workouts from weight training and stamina building to improving speed and endurance.”

Lekha believes that every girl in India should learn boxing because “it’s a very good defensive sport.”

But how safe is boxing for women?

“All these worries about injuries are highly exaggerated,” explains Lekha. “People are worried because they are ignorant. Injuries in boxing are just the same as any other sport. Besides, amateur boxing has one of the (most) stringent safety norms in place. I have never ever suffered even a minor injury from boxing,” says Lekha, adding that boxing is one sport that can prepare a girl “both mentally as well as physically for the challenges of the world.”

Lekha won the gold medal at the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Boxing championship, along with boxer Mary Kom. Both Lekha and Kom won gold medals in separate categories.