Kaur Singh, the only Indian boxer to have fought legendary Muhammad Ali, dies at 74

New Delhi [India], April 27 : Indian boxer Kaur Singh, who took home the gold at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, passed away on Thursday in Kurukshetra, Haryana. Singh (74) was suffering from a number of medical conditions for which he was receiving treatment in a hospital.

Kaur Singh was from a humble background and began his career as a farmer in Punjab's Malwa region. In 1971, he enlisted in the Indian Army, and in 1977, he discovered boxing, as per Olympics.com.

Two years later, he was India's national champion in the heavyweights division and remained the country's top boxing champion till 1983.

He was also dominant at the continental level during his peak years. He got a gold medal in the 1980 Asian Championships held in Mumbai and followed it with a gold medal in the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi. These are his top-two international achievements.

He also had a rare distinction of being the only boxer from India to have fought the legendary Muhammad Ali. Both were a part of a four-round exhibition match in Delhi's National Stadium in 1980, which was won by Ali.

Kaur's Asian Games gold earned him India's second-highest sporting honour, the Arjuna Award in 1982. A year later, his contributions to Indian boxing were recognised as he was awarded the Padma Shri award, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.

He received the Vishisht Seva Medal in 1988 from the Indian Army in recognition of his outstanding service.

The state government of Punjab earlier in 2023 added Kaur Singh's motivational athletic journey along with the renowned hockey player Balbir Singh Sr., Indian track and field legends Milkha Singh and Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, and others in the curriculum for schools.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the country's governing body of the sport, paid tribute to Kaur on their official Twitter handle.

"Boxing Federation of India deeply mourns the demise of Boxing Legend & Padma Shri, Kaur Singh Ji . Our heartfelt condolences and prayers to his family & friends. #OMShanti," tweeted BFI.

https://twitter.com/BFI_official/status/1651554199396839424

He is survived by two sons and a daughter.