Manoj's Mantra: Never back down in face of adversity

His ancestry goes back to the third battle of Panipat, and Manoj Kumar, a rare Indian boxer to have claimed two Commonwealth Games medals, says his career too has been about fighting wars both inside and outside the ring.

A gold-medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Manoj signed off with a bronze medal at the ongoing edition in the welterweight 69kg division after losing to England's Pat McCormack last night.

His is a rare feat which has also been achieved by a certain Vijender Singh but minus the gold medal.

The 31-year-old Manoj is exuberance personified when he gets down to talking about life and boxing. The many medals are punctuated by many stories of disappointment as well but his thoughts have never veered towards giving up, much like the small army of Marathas that fought the Afghan invaders way back in 1761.

"A Maratha in Haryana, how does that even sound? I belong to the Ror community, descendants of the Maratha soldiers who fought Afghans during the battle of Panipat. Fighting spirit runs in my veins. Giving up is never ever an option for me," said the two-time Asian Championships bronze-medallist.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never gave up, and I am admirer of him. I am a very stubborn person."