Inspiring father steers boxing fortunes of son
Sanchith Rayman (R) with his inspiring father Nadeeshaka
The cornerman in the ring is a boxer’s guide, mentor, motivator and coach all rolled into one when he comes gasping for breath, sometimes bleeding profusely, at the end of a round in competition. The bond between the boxer and coach in the corner is akin to a child looking up to his father for guidance because he has only one minute to recover in between rounds. It is in those 60 seconds that you can either make or break a fighter with proper care and advice on how to deal with his opponent, if he is behind on points or even leading the contest. He is the one who could make life-changing decisions which could impact a boxer’s career.
In boxing there have been several instances where fathers have guided the careers of their sons, most famously Floyd Mayweather Sr, a former American professional welterweight boxer who coached boxing greats like Oscar De La Hoya, Laila Ali and also his son Floyd Mayweather Jr, a boxing legend who retired unbeaten after winning 50 professional fights. In Sri Lanka, the late S.B. Kiridena, a veteran boxing coach played a key role in the outstanding career of his son Udeni, a Trinity ‘Lion’ who won the coveted Best Boxer title at the Stubbs Shield in 1982 and led his school to triumph after three decades at this meet the following year.
School boxing in Sri Lanka once again has a father-son combination who are determined and seem destined to light the torch for years to come in the arena.
Madabawitage Tehan Sanchith Rayman was reluctantly driven into the combat sport by his enthusiastic father a few years ago. But the 15-year-old student of Bandaranayake Central College, Veyangoda has blossomed into one of the top schoolboy pugilists, underlining his credentials by bagging the Best Boxer award for the second consecutive time at the School Boys Championship 2019 at Kamburupitiya. He is also a Youth international having represented Sri Lanka at the inaugural Asian Confederation Schoolboys Boxing Championship in Kuwait last year.
“At the beginning I used to force him to go for boxing. He used to cry and go for training when he was a Year 8 student. After he started winning and went abroad, now he is more enthusiastic and calls me for training,” said his father Nadeeshaka Rayman, an affluent businessman who has converted his home into a fully equipped boxing gym for his son to train.
“After he got through the Grade V scholarship with flying colours, I did not want him to go anywhere else. I wanted him to excel in boxing and go further than what I achieved. So I provided him the environment for him to practice boxing at home,” said Rayman, an old boy of Bandaranayake Central College, Veyangoda whose best achievement in the ring was a silver medal and receiving the Best Loser’s award at the Stubbs Shield in 1992.
However, he was an outstanding wrestler having won six gold medals at the National School Games and going onto represent Sri Lanka at the World Cadet Championships. But he was passionate about boxing and was keen to see his son excel in the sport.
“When he was in Year 6, I took him to my boxing coach Thilak Perera and he started training and began taking part in competitions,” said Rayman.
He won one and lost the second fight in the L.V. Jayaweera meet for freshers and was Best Loser at the T.B. Jayah meet. He shot to prominence in the School Boy Championship 2018 when he was adjudged Best Boxer and went onto represent Sri Lanka last year in the 40-42 kg weight class.
“I really got hooked onto the sport when I went to Kuwait last year. I was not really interested earlier though I was winning. My father only trains me a lot. I want to continue boxing. My focus during training is improving technique and punching power. I am happy to win the Best Boxer twice. The guys whom I beat all are my good friends,” said Sanchith Rayman innocently after having outclassed his opponents to win his fights within the first round not requiring his father’s advice in between rounds.
Apart from his father, Sanchith is also influenced by a former Air Force boxer who fights professionally in America Nuwan Tharanga Jayakody.
“He was in my corner at this meet. He sends me videos about training. I learnt movements from him,” said Sanchith who has good grades in studies and aims to become a pilot.
His father-cum-coach wants him to achieve the ultimate goal of boxing in the Olympics.
“He has good head movements and combinations. He identifies his opponent’s punches, misses and counters by slipping and rolling to confuse them. I have brought him to this level. I will do the maximum for him but I have a certain limit to what I can do. I will hand him over to a suitable coach to take him to the next level at the right time,” said Rayman, 39, who is his son’s sparring partner.
“He comes hard at me now. I can’t cope with him now. He hits me a lot. I am his punching bag,” quipped Rayman, a father of two children who also trains his daughter boxing.
More significantly, he has provided all the facilities for his champion son to pursue boxing at home.
“He practices three days at school and other days at home at least for two hours a day. I bought six lakhs worth of equipment including punching bag, speed ball, water ball, etc. I hold pads and spar with him. My next target is to see him get at least a bronze medal at Asian Junior Championships,” said Rayman who has created a pathway for his son to aim for glory in the ring.