Boxer Winston Van Cuylenburg who participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 in the flyweight contest was popularly known as the ‘Little Cat’.

While a student at St. Michael’s College, Polwatte, his coach was Anton Jones. Under Jones’ guidance Winston took part in the Stubbs Shield and Indo-Ceylon Schools Boxing Meets and showed his capabilities becoming a threat to competent local boxers.

It was a morale boost for him to have his brothers Ernest, Hans and Bunty too as boxers.

Their house was fully committed to boxing. It was a common sight the house to be seen scattered with punching bags, weight sets and gloves.

It was a tradition for the brothers to box each other while at home. Their mother apart from keeping the house tidy found it most difficult to control her children. At the time of winning the flyweight National Championship, Winston was yet at school going age.

In 1963, at a boxing meet in Pakistan, he won the Best Boxers award. In the local scene Winston defeated P. G. Neil, Farook and others of equal repute. Since there were enough boxers in flyweight class, Winston always fought in heavyweight classes.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, 19-year-old Winston lost to Constantin Ciyuka of Romania on points. In the Layton Cup events in 1965 he won the trophy awarded to the champion boxer.

In August, 1965 at a boxing meet in Singapore, he defeated the British Army and Security Service bantamweight champion Bruce Woodcock while knocking him out. At this event, he won the trophy for the Best Boxer. Everyone thought that Winston would win a Gold Medal at the Second Asian Boxing Championships held in South Korea. He lost on points to Korea’s Fun I. Hawang but went on to win a Silver Medal. He resigned from the Army in 1965 and left for England to obtain training prior to competing in the ommonwealth Boxing Meet in 1966. In England, in the face of financial constraints he gave up amateur boxing and became a professional boxer.

One of his brothers Geoff was also by then a professional boxer in England. The ‘Ring’ Magazine, which is considered as the Boxers Bible in its 1967 edition, carried Winston’s name in the 10th position.

In 1967 he participated in seven boxing meets in the bantamweight class and won four of the games losing three.(C.D)