India's Asian Games gold medallist boxer Kaur Singh, who famously took on the legendary Muhammad Ali in an exhibition bout, passed away on Thursday aged 74. He breathed his last at a hospital in Kurukshetra, Haryana.
It is being learnt that Singh was being treated for several health complications. The ex-Army man had been residing at Khanal Khurd, which happens to be his native village in Punjab's Sangrur district.
At the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, the boxer had famously clinched the gold medal. He is also remembered for his four-round contest with Ali which happened a couple of years before that in 1980.
Kaur Singh was also the recipient of the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri which he received in 1982 and 1983 respectively in recognition for his outstanding contrubution in the field of Indian sports.
"Olympian boxer Padma Shri Kaur Singh ji... who dominated India in the Asia Games and won the gold medal from the village of Khanal Khurd in Sangrur... Kaur Singh left us today... Prayers to God for the bereaved soul. Heartfelt condolences to the family in this difficult time," Punjab CM tweeted Bhagwant Mann tweeted.
Notably, Kaur Singh went on to represent India at the Olympic Games. Earlier in the month, Government of Punjab had announced its plans to publish life stories of four legendary athletes from the state in school curriculum. The deceased boxer Kaur Singh was one of them along with hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior and track and field icons Milkha Singh and Gurbachan Singh Randhawa.
The education minister of Punjab, Harjot Singh Bains, had announced that the life stories of these athletes have already been included in the physical eduction textbooks of classes 9 and 10.