Arjuna Awardee and Padma Shri boxing legend Kaur Singh (74) died on Wednesday at a Kurukshetra hospital in Haryana, where he was undergoing treatment for multiple health problems. After retiring from the Army, he had been staying at his native village Khanal Khurd here. Apart from winning international events, Singh had also fought an exhibition match with boxing legend Muhammad Ali in 1980 at National Stadium in Delhi.
After joining Army in 1971, Kaur Singh took to boxing in 1977 and won gold medals in national boxing championships from 1979 to 1983. In recognition of his achievements, Kaur Singh was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1982 and Padma Shri in 1983."Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday expressed profound grief and sorrow over the sad demise of former Olympian and veteran boxer Kaur Singh who breathed his last in a private hospital at Kurukshetra this morning. He is survived by two sons and a daughter," said an official statement here. Mann said Kaur Singh made India proud by earning name and fame in the national as well as international arena.The boxer also represented the country in the Olympic Games.He said the life and contributions of Kaur Singh would ever inspire the aspiring boxers. Earlier this month the Punjab government announced plans to publish life stories of four legendary athletes in the school curriculum. Kaur Singh is one of them, along with hockey icon Balbir Singh Senior, legendary athlete Milkha Singh and Olympian Gurbachan Singh Randhawa.