Pu Zoramthanga (boxer)
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For the article about the Mizoram politician, see Pu Zoramthanga.
| Pu Zoramthanga | |
| Born | 1963 Falam, Chin State, Myanmar |
|---|---|
| Died | February 9, 2005 Aizawl, Mizoram, India |
| Nationality | North East Indian  |
| Citizenship | North East Indian |
| Occupation | Boxer Light Flyweight |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  India |
||
| Boxing World Cup | ||
| Bronze | 1990 Bombay | Light Flyweight |
Pu Zoramthanga (also known as Zoram Thanga , T. Zoramthanga originally named Run Nawn) (b. 1963 [1] in Falam, Myanmar - d. Feb 9, 2005 in Aizawl, Mizoram) was a Burmese Indian Chin boxer, who is remembered as the first Indian to win a bronze medal at the 6th Boxing World Cup in Mumbai (then Bombay), 1990. [2]
He is not to be confused with his namesake, Pu Zoramthanga, the politician and long time Chief Minister of Mizoram.
[edit] Brief Biography [3] [4]
Zoramthanga was born Run Nawn to a Chin family in Selawn village near the town of Falam in Chin State, Myanmar. His family moved to Tithim village near Tahan-Kalaymyo. He joined the Myanmar Army there, where he first took up boxing.
In a bid to further his career, Zoramthanga moved to Mizoram in India, changing his name and jumpstarting his boxing career in 1985. He won a gold medal at the Mizoram-Myanmar Champhai Border Championships in his weight category the same year.
Zoramthanga participated in several national and international boxing championships for Mizoram and India. He fared well in the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Moscow in 1989, where he reached the quarter finals, before losing to Cuban boxer and eventual runners-up Rogelio Marcelo.
His greatest success was at the 6th Boxing World Cup in Mumbai in 1990, where he won a bronze medal in the Light Flyweight category. He defeated Jin Yang of South Korea on points in the preliminaries, and Paul Weir of Scotland in the quarterfinals, also on points. He lost to eventual champion Eric Griffin of USA in the semi-finals on points. However, unlike most amateur boxing tournaments, the Boxing World Cup had a third place play-off to decide the bronze medal position. Zoramthanga defeated fellow Indian boxer Dhamendar Yadav 17-4 on points to clinch the bronze medal.[5] This was India's first medal in an international boxing tournament outside the Asian Games.
Following the win, the Government of Mizoram made him the Sports Promotion Officer of the state. He retired from boxing in 1992. He held the post of Sports Promotion Officer until he died abruptly of hypertension at the Lunglei Civil Hospital in Aizawl, Mizoram on Feb 9, 2005. He was survived by his wife and three children.
