Mohd. Ali Qamar Profile

Mohammed Ali Qamar is an Indian Boxer hailing from Kolkata, and is famous for being the first Indian Boxer ever to have won a Gold Medal in the Boxing event of the Commonwealth Games.

Early Life & Introduction to Boxing
He was born in the year 1980 at Kidderpore, a relatively down market area of Kolkata, the state capital of West Bengal. His father was a great Boxing fan and wanted to see his son emerge as a successful Boxer. To get his dream realized, Qamar�s father got him admitted to the Kidderpore School of Physical Education. At the institution, Qamar got to meet Cheena Bhai, an excellent Boxing Coach who noticed an extra ordinary spark in him, and decided to polish him into a super strong Boxer.

Performance at National Boxing Circuit
Under the able guidance of Cheena Bhai, Qamar began learning the basics of Boxing and soon his hidden capabilities started to unfold. He made the first big bang by winning the West Bengal Inter District Championship held at Howrah in the year 1991. He was just 11 years old then. Further, Qamar grabbed the Sub Junior Boxing Championship title in the Light Flyweight Category for 5 times in a row, from the year 1992 to 1996 and dominated the Boxing arena of West Bengal. In the year 2003, he won the 49th National Boxing Championship held at New Delhi in the Light Flyweight Category. In the Final Match, Qamar defeated Khimanand Belwal of Services by 23-20. In the Semi Final Match, he had defeated Arun Singh.

Performance at International Boxing Circuit
Banking upon his excellent performance at the Domestic Boxing Circuit, Mohd Ali Qamar paved his way to the International Boxing arena when he got selected to represent the nation at the World Boxing Championship in the year 1999 held at Houston. Although he couldn�t win the tournament, he delivered a very promising performance at the event and reached the Quarter Final Round of the tournament where he lost to Ron Siler, a Boxer from the United States.

In the year 2002 he reached the Quarter Final Round of the President Cup Boxing Championship, where he lost to Suban Pannoam, a brilliant Boxer from Thailand. Suban had been the winner of the Gold Medal at the Bangkok Asian Games 1998.

The Big Achievement
Later in the same year, Qamar took the world by storm when he clinched a Gold Medal in the Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002. In the Final Round, Qamar outclassed Darren Langley, a Boxer from England by 27-25, when just 43 seconds were remaining to get it over. He was the first Indian Boxer to have brought home a Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games.

The Downfall
After winning the coveted Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games, Qamar faced a long chain of injuries that adversely affected his Boxing career, depriving him of any big title in International Boxing throughout his further career. He played at the Busan Asian Games 2002, and lost in the Quarter Final Round of the event.

The Lethal Weapon in the Ring
Qamar is known to have a lethal combination of Right Upper Cut and Straight Right Left Hook that delivers a dangerous effect upon the opponent, making him an extremely difficult Boxer to encounter. Added to that, he is equipped with quick footwork and a razor sharp slyness in his Boxing approach.

Awards & Honors
As an honor to his extra ordinary performance as a Boxer at the National and International level, and his consistent efforts in bringing laurels to the nation, Mohd Ali Qamar was bestowed upon the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Government of India in the year 2002.