“I will answer him in the ring,” has become India’s star professional boxer Vijender Singh’s go-to phrase, leading up to his fights and it was no different on Tuesday as the official announcement for his next title fight was made in Mumbai.
This time it’s not one but two titles on the line as he takes on China’s undefeated southpaw, Zulpikar Maimaitiali in Mumbai on August 5. Vijender, who is WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight Champion, will take on Zulpikar, the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion, at the NSCI Stadium in Worli. The two boxers will put their respective WBO titles at stake and whoever wins the bout will take home his defended title along with his opponent’s.
It’s been a long wait for Vijender and team. After defeating Francis Cheka in December, it’s been a bumpy few months, with a fight against the same Chinese opponent being announced for April 1 and withdrawn later. Vijender insisted that, while it was difficult to stay away from the ring, there were no frustrations and he just wants to get back to doing what he loves.
The Beijing Olympics bronze medallist, has been training in Manchester, England, with his trainer Lee Beard for the bout and with a little over a month to go, will hope to improve his record to 9-0 in what is being billed as “Battleground Asia.”
It promises to be a special occasion, not just because of Vijender’s return to action, but the other protagonists in fray. Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar – two men who put Indian boxing on the world map at Beijing 2008 along with Vijender – will be making their professional debuts as well. Neeraj Goyat will also be seen in the ring, taking on international opponents, whose names will be declared later. Apart from them, three other Indian boxers- Pardeep Kharera, Dharmender Grewal and Kuldeep Dhanda - are the others in action, making it a fully Indian undercard.
Vijender’s opponent Zulpikar, who was dressed in a shiny, gold-striped suit, did not make as much noise as his previous title fight opponents, preferring to play down the trash-talking, much like the Indian star. With the help of an interpreter, he said he will let his fists do the talking and that he will knock Vijender out.
“He (Zulpikar) is just a young kid, a southpaw. When he said that he will knock me out, I was laughing. We will show China that we are the best,” the 31-year-old Vijender retorted.
In his eight bouts till date, Zulpikar has scored five knock-outs wins and has fought 24 rounds. His last bout was with African boxer Thomas Mashali after which he won his current title of WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion last year. He turned towards pro in April 2015.
Vijender, who has remained unbeaten since his debut in professional boxing in 2015, has fought eight bouts with the last one being against former world number 1 boxer Francis Cheka from Tanzania. He claimed his first title in July 2016, against Kerry Hope of Australia, becoming the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champion – a title he defended against Cheka with a stylish knockout win.
Overall, Vijender has fought eight bouts with seven of them being won by knock-out. He has 30 rounds under his belt, eight more than his opponent from China.
Ticket sales for the bout will go up on July 1 and with the event coming to Mumbai, the first ticket was presented to cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar at the latter’s house by the boxer himself earlier.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!