Rahul Ganguly: Finding his way through in combat sport of boxing

Like millions of young boys in India, Rahul Ganguly dreams of making it at the elite level of sports. But it is not easy to fulfill that dream for any budding player rising through the ranks. As it is known, there are multiple hurdles that one has to jump over to become a professional in any kind of sport.

When it comes to combat sports like boxing, Indian parents are slightly more reluctant to give leeway to their growing kids to pursue their dream of becoming a professional. The repercussions of such a dangerous sport are well documented and ergo, there is always a doubt.

One such individual who has been living a dream of making it to the top level is Rahul Ganguly in boxing. The 30-year-old’s name is a combination of two big names in Indian Cricket (Rahul Dravid) and (Sourav Ganguly), however, he is here to make one for himself.

Rahul’s love affair with Boxing started at the tender age of 11. His parents had signed him up for swimming classes when he was in class seven. However, Rahul’s career was in the boxing ring rather than the pool. One of his close friends took him to free boxing classes and a young Rahul Ganguly was hooked like a kid in a candy bar.

Since then, he has taken giant strides in the sport but nothing has been served to him on a platter. Rahul Ganguly has an impressive cabinet to boost for as he was named Delhi’s ‘Best Boxer’ twice, is a seven-time Delhi state champion and a two-time national champion.

Rahul Ganguly: Boxing his way up

He was declared a national champion for the first time in Kolkata in 2003. However, with a bright future ahead of him, Rahul had to throw his boxing gloves away due to family responsibilities and take a job in the corporate sector.

But it is well known that killing two birds with one stone is never easy and Rahul was aware that he would be doing injustice to the sport he loves if he continued to do a 9-5 job. As a 25-year-old in 2016, Rahul decided to once again don his gloves as he thought he had a lot of fuel left in his tank.

It should be noted that Rahul has an impeccable record at the amateur level as he won 86 fights and lost only four. Subsequently, he signed up to get his pro license and when the federation approved, he was on cloud nine. After a long sabbatical, he finally returned to the ring on 5th January 2016.

Asked about his license, Rahul said, “I didn't expect it to come so soon. I was thrilled.”

Rahul’s sobriquet is The Tiger, he is only 5’3’’ but he packs a punch in the ring.

Meanwhile, Rahul Ganguly is currently in Belgium where he works from 2-11 PM and makes time for three hours of rigorous training. However, he then has to make up for the time he spends in training the next morning for work.

Rahul Ganguly at a beautiful place in Belgium. Image Credits: Rahul Ganguly social media.

Rahul recalled a time in 2018 when he was being offered sponsorship but it didn’t plan out well.

He added, “In 2018, when I was in Gurgaon, one genuine look company came to me and wanted to sponsor me. On their assurance, I left my stable job but after some 5-6 months of paying me, they stopped.”

Rahul’s pro career read as three wins, one draw, and one loss. His team is trying to arrange at least three to four fights every year and it will be interesting to note how things will pan out for him.

Rahul Ganguly also revealed how his coaches help him stay in the moments before his fight.

“My coaches tell me to relax, give a good show and enjoy the fight. Not to get tensed or restless, and don't lose your mind. Once the fight begins, it just gets to you.”

Rahul has ambitions of going a long way in his career and he has all the skills to do so. He has successfully crossed many hurdles in his roller-coaster career so far and is ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead.

And as legendary Mike Tyson sums it up, “You never lose until you actually give up.” Rahul will hope not to throw in the towel until he achieves all he wants to achieve in a sport he loves more than anything.