Mohammed Ali Qamar
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Ali Qamar is a boxer from Kolkata
, India
. He was the first Indian to win a gold medal in the discipline of boxing in the Commonwealth Games
at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
held in Manchester
.
Born into the ghettoes of Kidderpore
in Kolkata
, Qamar was inducted into boxing at an early age by his father at the Kidderpore School of Physical Education and was coached by Cheena Bhai. Qamar became the Inter-district champion in the state of West Bengal
in 1991. He won the Light Flyweight
category at the national sub-junior levels from 1992 to 1996.
Qamar had a strong showing in the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
in Houston, reaching the quarter finals before losing to Ron Siler of the United States
. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
, Qamar upset the home favorite Darren Langley 27-25 in the final, outscoring Langley 10-3 and surviving a standing count in the dramatic final round after trailing by 5 points at the beginning of the fourth and last round. Qamar's career was plagued by injury and he did not win a major competition again, losing in the quarterfinals at the 2002 Asian Games
at Pusan.
Qamar's neighborhood of Kidderpore is the hub of women's boxing
in India, who claim Qamar as one of their inspirations.
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the first Indian to win a gold medal in the discipline of boxing in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
held in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Born into the ghettoes of Kidderpore
Kidderpore
Khidirpur or Kidderpore is a neighbourhood of metropolitan Kolkata . Located in the central-west part of the city, it is bounded by the districts of Alipore in the east, Ekbalpore in the south, Hastings in the north, Metiabruz in the south-west and the Hooghly River in the west.-History:One of the...
in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Qamar was inducted into boxing at an early age by his father at the Kidderpore School of Physical Education and was coached by Cheena Bhai. Qamar became the Inter-district champion in the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
in 1991. He won the Light Flyweight
Light flyweight
- Professional boxing :The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds . When New York legalized boxing in 1920, the law stipulated a "junior flyweight" class, with a weight limit of 99 pounds. When the National Boxing Association was formed in 1921, it also recognized this...
category at the national sub-junior levels from 1992 to 1996.
Qamar had a strong showing in the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Houston, United States from August 15 to August 29. The tenth edition of this competition, a year before the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, was organised by the world governing body for amateur boxing AIBA.- Medal winners :-...
in Houston, reaching the quarter finals before losing to Ron Siler of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Qamar upset the home favorite Darren Langley 27-25 in the final, outscoring Langley 10-3 and surviving a standing count in the dramatic final round after trailing by 5 points at the beginning of the fourth and last round. Qamar's career was plagued by injury and he did not win a major competition again, losing in the quarterfinals at the 2002 Asian Games
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games, also known as XIV Asiad is a multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Busan is the second city, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries...
at Pusan.
Qamar's neighborhood of Kidderpore is the hub of women's boxing
Women's boxing
Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing...
in India, who claim Qamar as one of their inspirations.