How a newspaper article changed CWG-bound boxer Sagar Ahlawat's life

Manny Pacquiao marked the beginning of Sagar Ahlawat's boxing dream. Seven years later, the 20-year-old is gearing up for the men's +92kg super heavyweight competition at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he will be donning the India jersey for the very first time. "I was not good at studies. Mere se padhai hoti hi nahi thi. (I just couldn't study) So, I started looking for something else to do after 12th class," Sagar told PTI. Born to a family of farmers, Sagar had no connection to sports. But one fine day, he came across a full page newspaper article about the famous bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao, considered to be one of the most anticipated sporting events in history. As he read about the two boxing greats and their achievements, it became clear to Sagar where his future lay.

India's history at the Commonwealth Games

"No one was into sports in my family. I knew a little bit about boxing but I felt inspired after reading about them (Mayweather and Pacquiao) and their accomplishments," said the man of few words. He started training at the Jawahar Bagh Stadium in Jhajjar, which is some 20km away from his village Dhandlan. "I took up boxing in 2017. I trained at the Jawahar Bagh Stadium." The Haryana pugilist wanted to make a career in boxing but had to miss training sometimes in order to help his folks at the family farm. His first big win came a couple of years later, at the All India University Games, where he won the gold medal. He followed that up by winning back-to-back titles at the Khelo India University Games.

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