It was a hot and humid day, just before the Athens Olympics in 2004. A lanky boy with sparse beard was lazily tossing on a rickety bed in a dingy room of Sports Authority of India’s Residence Wing in Delhi. He was quiet and shy. Like all teenagers he was restless but unlike most, carried a sound head. Professional boxing was not in his boxing jargon. By his own admission, “Vijender Singh was just a gaon ka chokra (village boy) then.”
“Forget about Olympics I was thinking Athens kab pohnche (when will I reach Athens)?,” he laughs.
Never in his wildest dream did he realise, 11 summers later, after one Olympic, one World Championship, two Asian Games and three Commonwealth Games medals, that he would step into the professional ring. “I was just a village boy then,” he reveals from Manchester, three days before his first professional fight on Saturday.
The boxing hunk with chocolate-boy looks is set to capture the teeny-bopping hearts around the world thumping. “If I remember, it was around 2005 or 2006 when I realised there was boxing other than just amateur events. Though I had heard about Alis and Tysons, it took me a while to know what professional boxing is all about. I’ve never dreamt I would be part of this one day.”
Vijender believes more than punches, his penchant for taking risks has brought him here. “For me, in boxing, as in life, I love to take risks,” says the 29-year-old. “But I don’t take reckless decisions. I also back it up with 100 per cent effort. Until and unless you do that, there’s no reaching the top.”
Though new to professional boxing, odds are stacked in Vijender’s favour. His opponent Sonny Whiting is a pro of three bouts but a 2-1 record is not enviable in this format. Yet Vijender is trudging a cautious line. He has to meticulously build the win-loss record. There’s no room for slip ups. The 0 in the right adds value to the stature and he knows it well.
“I know I am new to this level, but I have put in a lot of effort to learn and adjust to the format. Though the basics are the same, there are a lot of changes — right from attitude, approach to technique. Training is hard and for the last month or so I have been training for almost eight to 10 hours. I cannot afford to lose.”
The four-round event on Saturday will be featured on the undercard of the Terry Flanagan vs Diego Magdaleno fight. For a month Vijender has been doing what he hates most. “Bahaut daurna parta (have to run a lot) to build endurance,” he says with a laugh. “This is what happens when you shift to a new format.” Even though Vijender knows odds are with him, he is not taking the bout lightly. “I know this is not acting,” he says mockingly. “I know he is a boxer and I know I have to stand on my feet while trading heavy blows. I like to start slow before launching my favourite hooks and uppercuts,” he says.
Being nervous is not new to Vijender. “It’s something I have never learnt to control,” he says. “I am always nervous before a fight.” On his trainer Lee Beard he says: “He is a true professional and he has been training me along with two-three other boxers.” Lure of the lucre is one thing that draws a boxer to the professional fold. But Vijender says “it is not about the money always.”
“I may not earn anything this time or whatever I earn might not be enough to make a good living. But I wanted to try out something. I loved boxing, I did; I wanted to act, I did and even danced in reality shows. Now I want to fight professional bouts. Watch out, here I come!” Whether or not he turns into a Manny Pacquiao or not, Vijender as we know will not rest until he achieves what he believes he is capable of — champion.
About the bout
Date: October 10
Venue: Manchester Arena, England
Capacity: 21,000
Odds: Bet365: Vijender -10000 Whiting +1600