Having made his mark at the Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Vishvanath Suresh, the newly-crowned champion in 50kg, is ready to go up to 55kg in order to make it to the Indian teams for the Commonwealth and the Asian Games.

A World youth champion in 2022 and an Asian Under-22 champion in 2024, Vishvanath, a product of the Army Sports Institute (ASI), Pune, waited for his time to compete at the elite level.

“I was No. 2 in my weight in the Services team and the No. 1 boxer went to the National Championships. After regular training, I did some extra work, which helped me. I got a chance and won the National title (in January last). The Asian Championships was my first major event. In the past few years, India didn’t have an Asian champion (in men’s boxing). Now I’ve become one,” Vishvanath told Sportstar.

“My one-sided quarterfinal win over World champion Sanzhar Tashkenbay was satisfying. The Kazakh fell off a punch in the last round. No Indian had beaten him after Amit Panghal (in the 2024 Strandja tournament). That gave me a lot of confidence.”

The 21-year-old is delighted to have made his boxer father M. Suresh, who bagged junior medals in the Nationals in the mid-1990s before hanging up his gloves to support his family, super proud.

Now the Chennai boy faces the challenge of going up to an Olympic weight, 55kg, for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

“Life is incomplete without challenges. My first target is assessment (to get selected). My body weight stays around 54kg. It will be advantageous as I can eat a bit and box. All eyes will be on me. But my hard work will keep me ahead. I need to increase my strength for 55kg.”

Vishvanath’s ultimate aim is to shine at Los Angeles 2028. “I want to win a gold in the Olympics, not just any medal. Vijender Singh’s bronze in 2008 inspires me, but it’s a shame that we’ve not won an Olympics medal (in men’s boxing) since then. I want to change Indians’ mindset,” said Vishvanath.

Published on Apr 14, 2026