It is a surprising fact that 29-year-old Mohammad Hussamuddin's appearance at the 2023 World Championships was his first in the competition. He has been boxing in international tournaments for over a decade but injuries kept him out of the marquee event a few times in the past. This time around, he took his chance and returned with a bronze medal from Tashkent.
He could have won the Golf if not for a knee injury that forced him to withdraw a little over an hour before his semifinal bout.
In the last 10 months, Hussamuddin has won a hat-trick of bronze medals in international events — Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships and World Championships — while also clinching the 57kg national title in India. The pugilist from Nizamabad has put his success down to the birth of his daughter.
"My daughter was born just before the Commonwealth Games when we were training in Belfast. At that time only I knew she will bring me luck," Hussammudin told PTI on Tuesday.
At the Worlds, Hussamuddin won his first three bouts by a unanimous verdict before eking out a 4-3 split decision victory in the quarterfinals.
"I was happy to finally be selected for the tournament but I also felt that I had to win a medal. I had to prove myself because I had missed 2-3 Worlds before."
Hussamuddin was confident that had the injury not cut short his campaign he would have gone the distance. "My bout was going well but in the last 10 seconds, I lost my balance when he pushed me. I knew it that time that something was wrong.
"The physio and doctor checked me. The next day when I was trying to hit a punch during training, I was not able to stand, was not able to sidestep or go back. But then also we decided to wait till the day of the bout.
"I was very disappointed but the coaches explained to me that even if I play I wouldn't be able to give my 100 per cent and risked aggravation and there are important tournaments coming up." Hussamuddin has been advised to undergo physiotherapy and the doting father hopes that if everything else goes well, he will be allowed to do it in Nizamabad.
After this short break, the preparation for the Asian Games, which is the first qualifier for next year's Paris Olympics, will begin.
(With PTI Inputs)
