Dian Gomes back at the Corner

Hafiz Marikar

Dian Gomes is considered the man behind the revival of boxing in Sri Lanka. He is aiming to take the national boxing movement forward, together with the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (ABA) and has planned on staging the National Boxing Championships in the hill capital Kandy on the December 18, at the City Center top floor, creating an iconic modern day arena for our local boxing gladiators with an open-air boxing ring.

Few days back, Sri Lankan boxers did the country proud by winning the dual Indo/Sri Lanka meet, a great achievement in the boxing arena. Sri Lankan boxers did there best in front of their Sports Minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage who graced the Duel Championships as the chief guest, this event paved way for the South Asian Games in New Delhi, India in 2013. Anusha Kodituwakku, with her recent Gold Medal win at the Eight-Nation International Tunisian Boxing Tournament, repeated her performance by winning the gold and also was adjudged the best boxer in the women's category.

Now its time for the nationals, all eyes will be on Manju Wanniarachchi who will be seen with gloves after a lapse of two years. So, the much awaited bout, will be between Dian Gomes' young prodigy, Gayan Jayaweera, who defended his title against former champion Manju Wanniarachchi. Much speculation has been caused with regard to which corner Gomes will be seen in.

Gomes, former President of the ABA, is making a comeback as the 'Corner Man' for Sri Lankan boxers after a year of recuperating from surgery. Living by example and considering his own collegiate boxing career, Gomes inspires the younger generations with added zest and passion, quite recently having spoken to more than 150 young boxers in Kandy, highlighting the talent that is in abundance in the hill capital. He wishes to drive this resurgence ahead by staging the nationals there; and the support is not only seen from the corporate sector.

With Dian Gomes' former Royal College boxing teammate, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, driving forward a new era in the sport within the armed forces, the level of competition in boxing locally has visibly reached greater heights. These formidable two men, performance oriented in their respective professions aim to make Sri Lankan boxing a force to reckon with in the global arena.

The backing they received from the Government of Sri Lanka has been abundant, with Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage supporting Dian's long term strategy by donating three international level boxing rings, one in Nawalapitiya and another in Kilinochchi. Taking his own experience and creating an ideal formula to fashion champions, Gomes sees his vision fast forwarded to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. He has already invested in 16 highly talented promising young boxers, and with a few more years to go for the next Olympics, they are being guided through intense trainings and mental strategies, with professional help coming in the form of Cuban coaching and participation in international tournaments. Gomes has already roped in world renown strategic challenger and leadership expert Rakesh Sondhi, to simultaneously enhance the right psychology and winning attitude for these boxers. Three of the sixteen pugilists will participate in the World Youth Boxing Championships in Armenia.

The revival of boxing into one of the country's premier sports occurred during Gomes' tenure as President, a reason that garnered him recognition as the 'Godfather' of Sri Lankan boxing. Anuruddha Rathnayake, the prodigy from Slimline ended a 40 year drought for Sri Lanka boxing by qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With Mahesh Amalean, Chairman of MAS Holdings committing to build the Royal College boxing arena, a complex with the capacity to seat an audience of 1000 by 2013 to coincide with the centenary celebrations of Royal College Boxing, and a renaissance of boxing within the nation eminent, it seems like boxing is celebrating an early Christmas this December.

Boxing, often called "the manly art of self defense", is a sport which two competitors try to hit each other with their glove - enhanced fists while trying to avoid each others blows. The competition is divided into a specified number of rounds, usually 3 minutes long with, 1 minute rest periods between rounds. Amateur fights consist of 3 rounds, professional fights 4 to 15 rounds; the recognized length of championship fight is 12 rounds.

Boxing originated when a person first lifted a fist against another in play different eras of the sport have been distinguished by the use of nonuse of the fist coverings. The ancient Greeks believed fist fighting was one of the games played by the gods on Olympus, thus it became part of the Olympic Games in about 688 BC.

Boxing often called "the manly art of self defense" is a sport which two competitors try to hit each other with their glove encased fists while trying to avoid each other blows. The competition is divided into a specified number of rounds, usually 3 minutes long with 1 minuet rest periods between rounds. Amateur fights consist of 3 rounds, professional fights for 4 to 15 rounds.

The recognized length of championship fight is 12 rounds. During Roman times the sport began to thrive on a wide scale. Boxers fought with leather bands around their fists for protection and some times wore metal filled, leather hand covering called cesti, resulting in bloody, fen duel to death, battles. Boxing diminished after the fall of Rome. And it was revived again in the 18th century in England. At that time boxing became a working mans sport.

Our history is limited, when exactly boxing was introduced as a sport to our country is not very clear but the British armed forces, who wee housed overt here introduced the sport in the 20th century. When one talks about boxing, the name of Leslie D.P. Hadunge's name come to mind, he is product for Trinity College, known as Perera in school, was the first Sri Lanka to enter an Olympic ring and he won a bout, he represented Ceylon at the 1948 Olympic Games and skippered the Sri Lanka team in 1952 Olympics. He won the national title for the first time in 1944 in the fly weight, and represented the University at boxing and was tlso the British and Irish Universities Bantam Weight Champion while at Loughbrough College.

The first Sri Lankan (at that time Ceylonese) to learn boxing was Royal College's Donald Obeyaekara, who gathered the sport while at Cambridge University in 1888. Then in 1913 C G Pigford of Police along with L Mac D Robison taught boxing at old Police training School at Thimbirigasyaya, Donald Obeysekara at his old school Royal College, A B Henricus of Army at Wesley College, R V Routledage and Sgt Major Jobson at Trinity College Kandy and Johan Gaye at St Anthony's College Kandy.

Inter School Championship In 1914 the British Tea Planter S C Trail, who was keen in boxing, saw the future of countries boxing is in the hands of school boys and he obtained the permission of the Colonial Secretary then (later the Governor) Sir R Edward Stubbs to award a challenge shield (Stubb Shield) in his name annually at an Inter School Championship Boxing Tournament and requested the controlling body to organize and run the tournament. It originated in 1914.