CHENNAI: Vijender Singh’s obsession with looks at times can be termed narcissistic. Sometimes, as he confesses, during bouts when a punch touches his face, something within him explodes and forces him to send flurry of punches at opponents. “Involuntary action,” he claims. “I lose control. Maybe, I love my face a lot.”
His next opponent, Samet Hyuseinov of Bulgaria, had hurled verbal-volleys at him, which perhaps hit Vijender below the belt.
29-year-old Hyuseinov, a more seasoned pro, though with a not too flattering record of 7-7, warned he would ‘smash’ his Indian opponent. A word Vijender hates. “I’ll take great delight in handing Vijender his first loss and sending him back home to India beaten and broken,” is what Hyuseinov warned.
Vijender’s words were unflustered and sombre, but reeked of rage. “As I said, I’m not afraid of anyone. Wait and watch. He has said something. But that doesn’t mean I have to react,” he told Express from Manchester, where he returned for training for his next professional bout on December 19.
“Bolne do (let him say). Some people have the habit of saying. Things don’t happen just because it’s been told. I am waiting.”
India’s KO King — yells the posters that promotes Vijender Singh’s next fight. The sobriquet settles well with his exploits in the ring so far — two knockouts in two. The winter has set in and Vijender is braving the icy wind to achieve his sole objective — another knockout. “Another KO is in my mind, but the opponent I heard is more experienced,” said the 30-year-old.
“We’ve been training hard. I’m fighting higher weight category boxers during sparring and they beat the hell out of me. They show no mercy. I hope this will help me against Hyuseinov.”
Though Vijender’s tall frame will have an advantage over Hyuseinov, who stands at five feet 10, the Haryana lad feels the key to victory would be adjustment.
“One has to adjust every round and I cannot let him guess what my next move will be,” he said.
“Yes, reach has its advantages, but that is not everything. It depends on how you land your punches. Timing is also very important. We need to adjust more while fighting guys. We have to see in which round we have an advantage to play close and when to withdraw so that we are not within his range. Every round we have to adapt and change.”
“I am in a very good shape and my endurance has improved. After returning, intense workout and sparring sessions helped me regain fitness,” said Vijender, who will be fighting Hyuseinov in Manchester Arena — the stage where he first tasted professional boxing.
Sarita Routs Ji for Second Straight Win
New Delhi: Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi (60kg) continued to shine in her return to competitive boxing, notching up a second successive victory in the training-cum-competition assignment at the Chinese city of Qian’an.
On Day 2 of competitive action, Sarita thrashed You Ji 3-0 in her bout to continue a confident return after serving out a one-year ban for her emotional outburst at the Asian Games last year.