The 21-year-old was competing in the Olympic weight class of men’s 55kg for the first time, but he overcame every challenge with his aggressive style of boxing.
“I changed my weight from 50kg to 55kg within one month and promised myself that I would become a champion in 55kg,” said Jadu while speaking to the media after winning the title.
He defeated former world medallist Amit Panghal in the semi-final before knocking down the current India No. 1 in the 55kg category, Pawan Bartwal, in the final.
A Gold fighting against family’s will
Jadumani had been competing in the 50kg category in November last year at the World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida, where he won the silver medal on home soil.
However, the youngster had his sights set on bigger goals and decided to transition to the 55kg category within a month, as 50kg is not an Olympic weight class and he wanted to target major tournaments.
Although his family was not supportive of the idea, Jadu stuck to his plan and went on to become the national champion against the country’s top boxers in the 55kg division.
“I proved a big point today. When I told my family about my move to 55kg, everyone stopped me, saying my height was not suitable for this category,” said Jadumani, explaining how his family opposed the switch.
He was unhappy with their advice and gave them an ultimatum, saying he would quit the sport if he could not compete in 55kg, as every boxer dreams of playing at the Olympics.
“This made me a little angry because height doesn’t matter in boxing. So I told my family that if I can’t play in 55kg, I will leave boxing and work at home,” said Jadu, underlining his determination to make the move.
He also mentioned that only a handful of people supported his decision, including former world champion Laishram Sarita Devi.
Jadumani spoke about how significant this victory was for him.
“If I had lost today, I would have dropped down in the rankings, so this is a huge win for me. Now I’m feeling relieved; otherwise, I was really worried about how I would perform in the 55kg category,” he said.
Road to National Title
Jadumani fought five tough bouts at GB University, which gave him valuable experience as he now looks ahead to the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
His first major challenge came in the quarter-finals against Punjab’s Nikhil, where he faced a significantly taller opponent. However, he got past him with aggressive, continuous punching.
The biggest test followed in the semi-final against Olympian Amit Panghal, who troubled Jadumani early in the bout. But the youngster showcased superior endurance and gradually wore down the more experienced boxer.
“I knew he has more experience, so I had to work hard on my power and endurance. I also sparred with him a couple of times before the last Olympics,” Jadu said while explaining his strategy against Amit.
In the final, Jadumani faced Pawan Bartwal, who had been regularly competing for India in the 55kg category last year and had won multiple international medals, including a silver at the World Boxing Cup Finals.
Jadumani adopted a different strategy for the final and executed it perfectly, registering another unanimous victory and outclassing Pawan with a counter-attacking approach.
“For the first time, I played a counter-attacking game because if both of us attacked from the start, it would have helped Pawan, as he has much more experience than me in 55kg,” Jadumani explained.
Now fully committed to the 55kg category, Jadumani has no plans of moving back, with the year packed with multiple competitions. His main focus will be on staying consistent and maintaining his rhythm.
He will now report to the Indian camp, where assessments will take place, and once again he will have to prove his mettle against Pawan and other leading boxers.