feature | aSean
Former champion boxer Syed Abdul Kadir
remembers his experience competing
at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok. Fresh
from bagging a bronze medal in the previous
year’s Southeast Asian Games, the athlete
took to the ring with hopes of a medal in his
heart, but faced a formidable opponent: South
Korean boxing powerhouse Kim Chung. Kadir
was quickly eliminated, and Kim went on to
claim the gold. This disappointing scenario –
elimination in the very first round – repeated
itself at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.
“Yes, it felt bad, but you keep your head
up and carry on,” he muses. “That’s the sport.
Sometimes you get unlucky and don’t do
well on the first match.”
The future was kinder to Kadir, who
went on to win six medals from events
like the Commonwealth Games and Asian
Championship. Now 70, Singapore’s most
decorated boxer returns to the Asian Games
in August, this time as an International
Technical Official, where he will use his
lifelong knowledge of the sport and his
position as coach of the Singapore boxing
team to ensure smooth and fair management
of the Games’ boxing events. Kadir
admits that training regimens for athletes
have grown far more advanced over the
years, with high-tech equipment and a more
scientific approach to getting boxers in top
fighting form.
“You can say I’ve come full circle with
boxing,” he quips. “I’ve been involved
in all aspects of this sport. I love it, and
I will continue to be part of it for as long
as I can.”Nearly five decades after his first Asiad fight,
Syed Abdul Kadir is back at the Games – but
this time, he’s on the other side of the ring. The
Singaporean medallist shares his memories
Coming Full Circle
FIGHTING SPIRITText Lester V. Ledesma
above Boxing champ
Kadir poses in the ring
with a photo from his
younger daysPHOTO © LESTER V LEDESMA