Jalandhar, June 25: When Wladimir Klitschko, the world heavyweight boxing champion, knocks out his opponents in bouts, it is a small factory based in Jalandhar that is delivering a punch in its own way.

The boxing gloves of the big Ukrainian are designed by Universal Works, a firm in Jalandhar which specialises in manufacturing boxing equipment.

Inside company director Anurag Chadha’s office, is a photograph of his father shaking hands with Muhammad Ali. “We could never dream of exporting our stuff. As you see, industry here barely classifies as smallscale, and we were merely a cottage industry at that time. But some of our users in London were impressed by our quality, so they sent us an invitation to meet the Great Ali at a reception after one of his fights. It was there that we established so many contacts that are holding us in good stead,” he says.

Today, Universal is making products for Everlast and Lonsdale, the two leading boxing equipment companies in the world. They have recently got orders from Adidas too, which is the official equipment supplier for the Beijing Olympics.

Pointing at piles of Adidas equipment being manufactured and packed in his factory, Chadha says: “Boxing federations have placed their orders with us as they want to practice with the gear that will be used in the actual tournament. With barely two months left for Olympics to start, I am wondering whether I will be able to meet all the orders.”

He adds that sometimes, the boxers instruct them on the specifications, so they know about the end user. “For example, Ricky Hatton, the World No 1 in light welterweight category conveys his requirements. But mostly they convey it to our suppliers only. For example, it was only after we saw a poster of Klitschko in a magazine that we came to know that he was using our products. We made some inquiries and found out that he had picked this kit from a store in Munich, which in turn had purchased it from us during an exhibition we had held in Germany.”

The customers swear by the quality of Universal’s products. “We have had a long relationship with Universal and we have found their products to be of great quality,” says a representative of Lonsdale, London.

But even as the company is proud of getting international recognition, it is content to be just a supplier to bigger names. Raghunath Rana, of Sports Good Manufacturers Association, Jalandhar, says: “Frankly speaking, it is a bit disturbing that our manufacturers are not thinking of competing at international levels. They are just making products for others. This is true of most categories, be it boxing, football, rugby or even cricket. Our businessmen are averse to pooling their efforts and creating one big brand. Look at football, so many of them exported to Soccer World Cup but no brand got internationally established. Had they pooled their resources, it would have been better.”