Introduction of boxing to Kandy SC a step in right direction

S M Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports correspondent

“It is a very good move and a step in the right direction for Kandy Sports Club to introduce boxing to diversify the sports activities in the club”, said Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police for Wayamba Nimal Lewke.

He made these observations on reading the news report published in the Daily News of September 18 on the subject of Kandy Sports Club to take to boxing.

DIG Nimal himself a former national boxer, ruggerite and hockey player and also excelled for his school St. Sylvester’s College at cricket and athletics said that boxers should be provided with more opportunities to continue boxing after they leave school as otherwise their talents would go waste and boxing will be the loser.

He said when he left school, there were no sponsors for him to continue his boxing. They had to spend their own money and travel by train to participate in tournaments.

He boxed for the Kandy YMCA and fortunately he was a member of the YMCA and he was able to get accommodation at a concessionary rate at the Colombo YMCA. Then they had to spend their own money on supplementary food and meals and thereby he was able to continue his boxing. But the question is how many could do this. Therefore the clubs should rally round the boxers and help them to box at club level.

He said that at school level schools in Kandy like St. Sylvester’s College, Trinity College, Vidyartha College, Peradeniya Central College and Kingswood College have produced champion boxers in the past, but hill capital did not boxing clubs for them to continue their boxing. It is only if they join the Police or the forces that they continued their boxing.

Kandy YMCA was one club which helped the boxers to continue their boxing and also helped them to continue boxing.

Senior DIG Nimal Lewke recalled in the early seventies he had just left school and former Olympic boxer Karunaratne had just returned to the island from the Olympic Games and he was a hero. In a boxing championship held in Colombo had to fight Karunaratne. He gave a good fight and had Karunaratne in a spin with his left hooks. But he had no one to assist him though the crowds cheered him lustily.

When he was in the corner at the end of the round, someone came and helped him out. Despite all these shortcomings he lost on a split decision but many felt that he had won the bout. With someone to assist him and give moral courage he could have even created a major upset.

This was one of the handicaps they had to face during their days, he said. This bout was one of his best in his career.

Senior DIG Nimal Lewke has also been national coach at rugby and led the Police to win both the League title and the Clifford Cup under his captaincy. He also coached the Kandy Sports Club to win the triple crown for the first time in 1994. He was the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union during his tenure of office, he did much to uplift rugby by making payments to the national rugby players, and also helped the clubs in many ways, so that rugby could survive and go forward.