There were no bright lights, no entrance music and no flash trainers in Binnu Singh’s early days, just a pair of canvas shoes, a sugar sack filled with sand, and a dream.
Now 53, Singh lives a quieter life as a full-time farmer in Sigatoka.
But for those who followed local boxing, his name still rings loud, not just for the titles he won, but for the grit and discipline he showed.
“I started boxing around 1995 or 1996,” Singh said.
“Before that I was a jockey, and I also played soccer. But boxing was always there in our family. My father boxed too.”
Over 16 years, Singh fought 25 professional bouts, collecting four national titles and building a reputation as one of the most determined fighters in the country.
He held the FBC Fiji featherweight and lightweight titles, the FBA junior lightweight title and the South Pacific junior lightweight belt.
Among his most memorable bouts were his five fights against popular boxer Junior Farzan Ali.
“Those were tough fights,” Singh recalled.
“We drew once, and each of us won two. The first time I beat him was special, I had trained hard, and it paid off.”
But training wasn’t easy.
“We lived in the interior. We trained in the jungle. My father and trainer Azmat Ali were with us. There was nothing fancy, just hard work.”
In 2004, Singh got the chance to fight in the main event of a boxing show in Hobart, Tasmania.
He went up against Australian fighter Grant Brown.
Singh didn’t win the fight, but he was proud to have gone all the rounds against a more experienced opponent.
The next year, in 2005, he stepped into the ring one last time.
He fought Saimoni Ratu and won the match with a strong knockout in the third round.
Not long after that, Singh was injured in an accident and hurt his shoulder.
Because of the injury, he had to stop boxing. He was in his 40’s around that time.
Even though he stopped fighting, boxing stayed a big part of his life.
“My sons are both boxers now. I train with them. I’m always there to guide them. It’s in our blood.”
Singh says one thing he has always believed in and now passes down, is discipline.
His advice to young boxers is simple.
“Train every morning and afternoon. Eat well. Focus. Don’t be afraid. Boxing is hard, but if you put in the work, you’ll see results.”
And even though his gloves are now hung up, Singh still holds on to the same pride he felt when he once fought under the Fijian flag.
“When you represent your country,” he said, “that pride stays with you forever.”
