Any conversation about Indian boxing loudly and proudly echoes names like Dingko Singh, Vijender Singh and Mary Kom – each storied champions in their own rights.
But Kaur Singh? His name is rarely whispered.
Here’s the story of Indian boxing’s forgotten hero Kaur Singh – an Olympian, Asian Games heavyweight champion, decorated war hero and most importantly, the only Indian boxer to trade punches with ‘the Greatest’ Muhammad Ali.
Punjab’s fields, India’s frontlines and the boxing ring
Born in 1948 in Khanal Khurd village of Sangrur district, Kaur Singh came from humble beginnings, growing up as a small-time farmer in rural Punjab.
Kaur Singh’s valour and character first came to the fore in 1971 when he joined the Indian Army as a havildar at the age of 23.
His grit was soon put to the test during the second India-Pakistan war, where he distinguished himself with unwavering bravery, which was first recognised in the form of the Sena Medal award and later, the Vishisht Seva Medal in 1988.
However, Kaur didn’t serve his nation through the uniform alone. The fierce spirit he honed on the battlefields soon found a new arena in the boxing ring, where he emerged as one of India’s finest pugilists of his era.
National champion to Asian gold medallist
Kaur Singh’s boxing journey began in 1977 during his service in the Indian Army. Just two years later, he struck gold in the heavyweight division at the Senior National Boxing Championships and remained national champion until 1983.
On the international stage, Kaur quickly made his mark. He clinched gold at the 1980 Asian Championships and followed it up with another top-podium finish at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.
He received the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest National Sports Award, for his Asian Games exploits and the Padma Shri award for his immense contribution to Indian sports in 1983.
In 1984, he carried India’s hopes to the Los Angeles Olympics. After a win over Syria’s Naasan Ajjoub, Kaur’s campaign came to an end against eventual gold medallist Henry Tillman of the USA.
Henry Tillman had made it into the American boxing team for LA 1984 after beating one Mike Tyson twice – once in the USA Olympic Trials and then in the USA Olympic Box-Offs.
Kaur Singh vs Muhammad Ali
Kaur Singh retired from boxing shortly after the Olympics, however, his biggest moment in the ring perhaps took place four years earlier when he faced the legendary Muhammad Ali in an exhibition match while the American icon was visiting India.
It was 1980, and Delhi buzzed with anticipation. A crowd of 50,000 had gathered to witness a dream take shape – the great Muhammad Ali stepping into the ring with one of their own, Kaur Singh.
To most, it was just an exhibition bout. But for Kaur Singh – and for Indian boxing – it was a defining moment. A moment of pride, grit, and history that has since faded quietly into the margins of memory.
Lest we forget, here was a homegrown talent from a small village in Punjab, who had risen from humble beginnings to share the ring with ‘The Greatest’ not just as a sparring partner, but as a symbol of Indian sporting ambition.
“Us de mukke bahut hi dumdar si (Ali’s punches had great power). I clearly remember that jab, his famous jab. It seemed to come out of nowhere. He used his right hand to block my punches, and his counterpunch to hit me,” Kaur Singh fondly recalled to the Indian Express years later, reflecting on the monumental moment in Indian boxing.
“His speed was amazing; not once during those four rounds did the speed drop. He was shorter than me but his ring craft and movement took him out of my reach,” Singh had added
Life after boxing
After retiring from the ring and subsequent slip into obscurity, Kaur Singh – a trailblazer for boxing in the country as the only Indian to fight Muhammad Ali – returned to his roots, taking up farming to make a humble living and slowly disappeared from the limelight.
When Kaur Singh was diagnosed with a heart condition that required stents, he found himself battling adversity and financial difficulties for years.
It was the Indian Army that eventually stepped in to cover the cost of his treatment. In his later years, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan also extended a helping hand, repaying a loan Kaur Singh had taken for medical expenses.
Following Shah Rukh Khan’s gesture, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) also extended a helping hand.
More than the only Indian to fight Ali
Kaur Singh died in April 2023 at the age of 74 due to heart-related complications. However, earlier that year, the Punjab government finally took a decisive step to ensure that future generations would remember what a towering figure he was in Indian boxing.
Kaur Singh’s remarkable journey was added to the state’s school curriculum alongside the legendary Balbir Singh Sr in hockey and track icon Milkha Singh, cementing the Indian boxing legend’s place among Punjab’s sporting icons and preserving his legacy for young minds to draw inspiration from.
In the ring, he stood toe-to-toe with the greatest of all time. Outside it, he fought for his country and stood tall against adversity.
Kaur Singh’s inspiring story was also dramatised in a biopic titled Padma Shri Kaur Singh, which was released in 2022.
It wasn’t a big-budget blockbuster Bollywood movie in the lines of Mary Kom’s biopic but a grounded, yet well-loved, Punjabi production starring local artists.
