Vijender Singh had eyes of the tiger on Monday when he came face to face with his next opponent, a former European champion— Kerry Hope for the eagerly waited WBO Asia title bout which will be held on July 16 here at the Thyagaraj stadium.
The pro turned boxer, Vijender Singh is on a roll having won all his six professional fights with knockouts and is a nightmare for his opponents.
His counterpart on the contrary has huge experience backing him. Hope has fought 30-odd bouts out of which he has won 23, two of them with knockouts.
The Welsh-born Hope, who emigrated to Australia, was also a WBC middleweight champion and has moved a division to super middleweight to take on the Indian boxer.
There were some cold and mean words exchanged between the boxers.
“He is a superstar in India but to me he is just a boxer. He has been pro for a year, I have been pro for 12 years. I bring a lot of experience. I know the crowd will be behind him but I like being the underdog. The pressure is on him. He has to train harder,” the 34-year-old Hope said at a press conference here.
“I have been world No.3 in the past. I have heard about his achievements but all that is in amateur. I am an experienced operator in the pro circuit,” he further added.
Vijender was his usual understated self when it came to talking before the bout.
“Time will decide what happens on July 16. Just wait and watch,” was his reply to Hope’s statement before the two faced off for a brief while.
What will make this fight more captivating and interesting to watch is Vijender’s opponent is from Australia! And we Indians love to beat the continent down under.
Queensberry Promotions’ Francis Warren said he expects the 10-round contest to be a tough one for Vijender.
“There will be two four-rounders, two six-rounders, and an eight-rounder before Vijender’s title bout on that day. I think it is a tough fight for Vijender but at stake, apart from the title, is a place inside the top-15 of WBO rankings. That would pave the way for a world title bout for Vijender soon,” Warren said.
The bout will be held at the Thyagaraj Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 6,000, and Vijender has already invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and several other dignitaries for what promises to be a mega-event.
Vijender’s two promoters — India-based IOS and UK-based Queensberry Promotions — revealed that the tickets for the bout would go on sale from Tuesday. The first ticket for the bout was presented to former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, a longtime friend of Vijender.
“Even in cricket, it’s a lot of fun to beat Australians. So, I hope Vijender beats Kerry,” quipped Sehwag while posing with the ticket.
‘Vijender doesn’t have time left for Oly trials’
Ever since the International Boxing Association (AIBA) opened the Olympics for professional pugilists, India’s most successful boxer Vijender has been encountered with just one question — will he give it a shot at the big event.IJ
Same time around last year, Vijender said that he does not want to particiapte in Olympics anymore and just wants to concentrate on his pro boxing. But how the time has changed. On Monday, the Indian boxer said, “Representing the country in the Olympics is a huge thing and I will definitely try for that if there is a chance. I will try to go.”
Even if he wants to, the Olympic door could be shut on Vijender later this month is Vikas Krishan makes the cut in 75kg, the division which Vijender made his own at the peak of his amateur career, at the Qualifiers in Azerbaijan starting June 16.
Warren was completely dismissive of the idea of allowing pros in the Olympic arena, calling it unfair on amateurs.
“This whole thing about pros in Olympics is something that I don’t support. Imagine a 20-year-old amateur kid fighting against a hulk like pro. It will be a one-sided demolition. Olympics is a stage which is meant for youngsters and I think it should remain that way, for the amateurs,” said Warren.
“I won’t at all be happy, if he wants to go there. As I see it, there is no time. Of course he is his own man, he has his own mind but that cannot hinder with what we have planned for him because it’s taken a year to reach where he has. He has contractual obligations with us,” Warren, who heads the Queensberry Promotions — a top boxing promoter in the UK, said.
“If Vijender wins on July 16, he will enter the top-15 of the WBO rankings. From there, we are looking at a world title bout in the next few months. It (going to Olympic qualifiers) is not something that he can decide on his own. He will have to discuss with us and we will do that in private, behind closed doors,” he further added.
The former Olympic and World Championships bronze-medallist Vijender has maintained that if there is an opportunity for him to give it a shot, he would grab it.
And by opportunity, he means the final Olympic Qualifier in Venezuela, which has been thrown open to pro boxers from around the world.