Ashish Kumar Chaudhary is an Indian pugilist who competes in the 75 Kg weight category. He is one of the nine Indian boxers to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Wiki/Biography
Ashish Kumar was born on Monday, 18 July 1994 (age 27 years; as of 2021) in Dhahotu, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Cancer.
Ashish Kumar in childhood
Born into a family of sportspersons, Ashish developed an interest in sports at a young age. His brothers and cousin inspired him to take up boxing. In an interview, talking about choosing boxing as his career, Kumar said,
I had a brother in boxing and one in wrestling. Looking at them, I was inspired as a kid and my family supported me. My father was already a national kabaddi player at the time. The moment I took the plunge, he advised me on what was required to succeed at the highest level and prepared me accordingly.”
He further added,
Wrestling and boxing were my options at that point. I tried my hand at wrestling but soon lost interest. My interest veered towards boxing.”
Ashish joined the Sundarnagar Boxing Academy, Himachal Pradesh when he was just 14 years old. When he turned 16, he shifted to Bhiwani to focus on his training seriously.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 75 Kg
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest 38″, Waist 30″, Biceps 14″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Ashish Kumar’s father, Bhagat Ram Dogra, was a national-level Kabaddi player. His father died of prolonged illness in February 2020. Ashish’s mother is a homemaker. He has three brothers; one of them is named Sunil. He also has a sister.
Career
Ashish Kumar started his boxing career in 2009 with a junior state competition and won a gold medal in it. Subsequently, he participated in School Nationals and won a bronze medal. In 2012, he participated in Youth Nationals and Senior Nationals. In 2015, he took part in the 35th National Games held in Kerala and bagged a gold medal. Ashish made his international debut in 2018 by participating in the India Open International Boxing Championship. He reached the quarterfinals of the event.
Ashish Kumar with team India during his first International event
Subsequently, he participated in President’s Cup. In 2019, he took part in the International Boxing Tournament in Stranja, Bulgaria. In the same year, he won a gold medal in the middleweight category at the Thailand Open. Thereafter, he won a silver in the Asian Boxing Championship 2019.
Ashish Kumar during the Asian Championship
He then went on to take part in the 2019 World Boxing Championship. However, he lost to Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan of China in the 75kg Middleweight category held in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Ashish Kumar during a boxing match
In the same year, he won the Big Bout League.
Ashish Kumar as the winner of the Big Bout League 2019
In 2020, Ashish reached the semi-finals of the 2020 Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Amman, Jordan, and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Ashish Kumar with the ticket to Tokyo Olympics
Ashish is appointed as a Tehsil Welfare Officer with the Himachal Pradesh Government.
Medals
- Silver medal in the Asian Championships in Bangkok (2019)
Ashish Kumar with a silver medal
- Silver medal in India Open (2019)
- Gold medal in Thailand Open Kings Cup International Boxing Tournament (2019)
Ashish Kumar in Thailand Open Kings Cup International Boxing Tournament
Favourite Things
- Travel Destination: Spain
Facts
- Ashish loves to swim in his leisure time. He also loves doing adventure sports.
- He practices meditation regularly to maintain his mental balance.
Ashish Kumar doing meditation
- In order to keep himself fit, Ashish hits the gym daily.
Ashish Kumar inside the gym
- Kumar is the fourth boxer from his family. He is the first one from his family to reach for the Olympics.
- He owns a Royal Enfield bike.
Ashish Kumar with his bike
- In 2019, he was awarded the Himachal Sports Parashuram Award by the then chief minister Jai Ram Thakur for his contribution to sports.
Ashish Kumar receiving Himachal Sports Parashuram Award
- Ashish’s boxing coach is Dharmendra Yadav Gogi. Previously, he was trained under Shiv Singh, SR Singh, Santiago Nieva, and CA Kuttappa.
Ashish Kumar with his coach, Dharmendra Yadav Gogi
- There was one point in his life when Ashish decided to give up on his boxing desires and join the Police or Indian Army due to a slew of poor performances and inconsistencies. However, his father motivated him and pushed his career.
- Ashish’s father died just one month before his qualifying round for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. During an interview, while talking about his father’s demise, Ashish said,
My father died exactly a month before my Olympic qualifying bout – on February 7. My bout was on March 8. It was important for me to make my father’s dream come true. He wanted to see me at the Olympics, and subsequently, win a medal there. Now, I have made my first step.”
- Ashish participated in the 35th Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain, in 2020. However, he tested positive for the virus during the tournament, which resulted in his withdrawal from the finals. Not just Ashish, his roommates Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) were also disqualified from the tournament. All three of them ended with the silver medals in the event.
- Ashish considers the boxers Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali, Floyd Mayweather, and Lomachenko his role models. While talking about them in an interview, Ashish said,
As far as my role models are concerned, I am very much inspired by all-time great boxers like Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Lomachenko. I follow them to achieve what they achieved in the field.”