Indian boxing also has a smart thinking, charismatic man capable of drawing the interest of a wider audience and also of becoming a rallying point for young boxers.

Physiotherapist Heath Matthews says it is “exceptionally important” to have somebody like Akhil around: “His personality is incredibly infectious.” “Akhil Akhil hai,” says Sandhu.

Boxing, more than most other sports, feeds on human drama. As counterfoil to the brute aggression and sharp wits in the ring, its greatest dramas require gestures of decency, or the glaring lack of them. (Think Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson for an example of the contrasts that keep fans interested.) At 27, with the experience of dashed hopes from a first-round defeat at Athens, Akhil has the flair to disarm with the clearly-phrased analysis.

Stories of his financial support to young boxers are softly recounted. His teammates — three of the five, like him, living within shouting distance of each other in Bhiwani—find themselves learning how to explain the boxer’s craft to enable an informed interest in the sport.

Matthews hints that one has to know the culture and context from where the boxers have come to understand their style. Himself smitten by Bhiwani, he explains that cricket is not the sport of choice there. “It is a modest community with a very strong boxing background.” After all, boxing is, paradoxically, not about aggression. It is, as the Bhiwani boys have showed this month, about expressing oneself.