Venkatesan is a forgotten Olympian who, after dedicating his entire life to boxing, is determined to produce a boxer similar to himself and to give back to boxing whatever he has gained from the sport.

Venkatesan Devarajan is an Arjuna Awardee Boxer, an Olympian, and a world championship bronze medalist. He began his boxing career in 1985. He has won many junior and senior championships at the state and national level.

During the 1994 World Boxing Championship, he won the bronze medal.  He was the second Indian to take home a medal from the World Cup of Boxing. In 1995, he received the Arjuna Award. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, he took part in the men's bantamweight competition.

V. Devarajan has battled both inside and outside of the ring. Despite winning a medal in the 1994 World Cup,  Deva had to fight for his rights with his employer, the Southern Railway, until recently, after being "denied a due promotion." The Southern Railway promoted him to Sports Officer after a long wait.

Remembering his childhood, Devarajan says his father was a bodybuilder, who himself was a national level champion in bodybuilding. His father was an inspirational figure for him and one of the main reasons Devarajan took up boxing as a profession. His father frequently showed him and his brothers the well-known Hollywood boxing biopic "Rocky," which served as their motivation and inspiration. There were always movies of former world boxing champion Mohd. Ali in his home.

Describing his regrets, Devarajan says that after failing to qualify for the 1996 Olympics for the second time, he became a professional boxer and moved to England. His biggest regret, according to him, is that he did not apply for the Olympics a third time because, in that case, he would have received the medal for his nation. He believes that studies are just as important as sports in achieving goals. Even though he had earned his B.Sc., he could have improved his position significantly if he had continued his education. He also encourages other budding boxers to excel in their academics.

When asked about his role models, Devarajan says that he considers Mohd. Ali as his first role model. After him, he looks up to all his national and international coaches, who have given him a lot of inspiration and support.

Devarajan's favorite lines are from Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan's poem - “असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो, क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो। ”

Devarajan advises the youth to be happy and content with what they already have, work hard to obtain what they lack, and be joyful when they succeed. He says the one who remains emotionally balanced can remain happy.

"Three D's (Discipline, Dedication, and Determination) + Hard Work = Success," is Devrajan's motto for success.

Devarajan counsels aspiring athletes that there is no end to anything, that success increases confidence, and that failure imparts more life lessons. Be courageous, put in a lot of effort, and use discipline to bring the honors for your nation and yourself.