The 18-year-old had been training on Sunday (5) for the on-going Junior National Championships when he sustained the injury. According to sources close to the school, he had been engaging in a training bout with a boxer from Sri Lanka Army who is also coached by his school coach, Major Luxman Ratnasuriya.

Indeera has sustained the injury seconds after commencing the bout and had been rushed to the Homagama Hospital from where he had been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the General Hospital, Colombo.

While officials of Indeera’s school kept mum over the incident, police conducting investigations has not objected to granting bail to the Army boxer from whom Indeera is said to have received a punch to the left side of his head.

Incidentally, Indeera had been training for his first-ever all-island boxing meet. An all-island coloursman in wushu, Indeera had joined Dharmapala College for his Advanced Levels and had shifted to boxing recently.

Speculation was rife that Indeera’s parents had remained in dark about his son’s involvement in boxing and on the day of training, he had not worn protective gear, a charge denied by his coach.

Asked for his comment, Indeera’s coach Ratnasuriya said that it was the first time he experienced such a sad incident during his 36-year training career and he was shocked to observe Indeera in discomfort after being hit on the face.

"He was wearing all protective gear. Training started after warming up and the training bouts did not last even a minute. I was shocked to learn him in discomfort," said Ratnasuriya.

Inquired as to why he had got a senior player to fight against Indeera during training, Ratnasuriya said that the two boxers were of the same weight category and the boxer from Army was just one year older than Indeera.