Vijender Singh's Indian fans are all set for a treat as the boxer will return to India for his maiden title fight, for which a tentative date of 11th June has been assigned.
During an event at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday, Vijender's UK based promoters — Queensberry Promotions' Francis Warren reckons the IGI stadium seems to be the popular choice.
Terming it as the most conducive venue for the 30-year-old's first professional match in India, Warren said, "For the moment the IGI stadium seems to be the option for us, it has a feel for a thrilling atmosphere and very recently it successfully hosted a WWE Event, which makes it our first choice. Earlier we were looking to schedule the bout somewhere around September, but the way Vijender has worked and trained, we think this is the right time for him to compete in his first title bout."
On their new signing, Warren said "We have signed a london born player — Sanjeev Sahota — whose is father is from Delhi. He will be boxing here in June. Besides, I also intend to bring in few guys from the UK, as that would provide them with a different experience and make the event as electric as possible."
Among those present were John Duggan, Vice President WBO (World Boxing Organization) and Neerav Tomar, MD, IOS, Vijender's India based Promoters.
Tipping the anticipated event as historic, John Duggan shared his thoughts on how WBO is hoping to work with the local boxing commissions to encourage a National Indian Championship which could prove clinical to stimulate a positive effect at the grass root level as well as give a platform for boxers to make the transition to the professional circuit.
"India is a sports loving country and I am sure keeping in mind the country's population and the existing boxing talent, it can quickly establish a rank in professional boxing and very soon we might see an Indian at the top which would ultimately help Indian pugilists to compete with their counterparts from more popular countries like Mexico and Philippines," added Duggan.
Before the all important clash in June, Vijender will feature in three bouts lined up on March 12th, 2nd and 30th April.
The first two will take place in liverpool and london respectively, whereas the venue for the third one is yet to be determined.
Vijender’s start in professional boxing career got off to an emphatic start as he eased his way to win his first three bouts via technical knockouts.