Shah Rukh Khan, the franchise owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders' team has transferred 5 Lakh INR ($10,200) to former heavyweight boxer Kaur Singh.
The 1982 Asian Games gold medallist, Mr Singh was finding it difficult to pay his medical bills incurred for treating his cardiac condition.
In a statement to TOI on Saturday, Shahrukh said, "Sportspersons bring pride to a country and it is our duty to look after them as a society. After reading about Kaur Singh, we as a sporting unit, felt the need to stand by our fellow sportsman and urge everyone else to do the same in their own way. We wish Kaur Singh a speedy recovery and a healthy life."
He has already received the 2 Lakh INR cheque from the Punjab Government to help pay his medical bills.
The Boxing Federation of India has also committed 1 Lakh INR towards Kaur Singh's cause, reports Times of India.
The Indian Army has also confirmed the payment of an amount of Rs 5.27 lakh to the private hospital where Singh was undergoing treatment.
Singh had served in the army and had retired from the rank of subedar from the Sikh regiment.
Kaur Singh took on the boxing legend Muhammed Ali in a bout that took place about 37 years ago.
A crowd of more than 50,000 turned up to watch history’s greatest boxer Muhammed Ali in an exhibition bout at Delhi’s National Stadium on January 27, 1980.
Kaur Singh does not remember much about the ‘fight’ but he’s pretty sure about one thing — he couldn’t get anywhere near Ali despite being taller than him.
“He was shorter than me but his ring craft and movement took him out of my reach,” Singh said in his hazy voice over the phone. “Us de mukke bahut hi dumdar si (His punches had great power),” Kaur Singh says.
“We were attending a national camp in Patiala and were called to a stadium near Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The bout took place during the day, and a lot of people gathered to have a look at him. It was not a bout exactly; it was just a spectacle for the crowd.”
After his heavyweight bout with Ali, he went on to win a gold medal in the Asian Boxing Championship held in Mumbai in 1980. He followed this success with another gold in the Asian Games in 1982.
