As Ernest Amuzu waits in the ring, Vijender Singh leaving no stone unturned for magic 10

CHENNAI: Perfect 10 is a magic number in sport. Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, footballers Pele and Diego Maradona immortalised it. Though not associated with boxing, even remotely, the magic number has spurred Vijender Singh on. He too is in pursuit of that perfect 10 in Jaipur on December 23. He will be defending his Asia Pacific and Oriental super middleweight titles.

Over the last two-and-a-half years, Vijender has stepped into the ring nine times and won all nine. When he faces Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu on a cold winter night in Jaipur, he will be chasing the perfect 10 with all his might. He has changed his base from Manchester to Delhi because of the extreme cold. “Also I am checking if I can train well here in Delhi,” he told Express from Delhi.

“I have a very good set up here in Gurugram where I can train peacefully without any interference. I can’t compare this with Manchester but our setup here is world-class, with a gym, swimming pool and a ring.” Pollution is not a worrying factor.

Sparring partners too are readily available there. “I‘ve around fo­ur-five sparring partners who too are very enthusiastic about my training,” says the 32-year-old, adding a chuckle. “When we spar, there is no sparing anyone. They hit me hard too.”

The Beijing Olympics bronze-medallist’s penchant to go for the jugular is well-known. But on December 23, he would prefer to wait and watch before launching his feisty hooks and uppercuts. The Ghanaian looked menacing with his words, threatening to knock Vijender out after a  few crunching body blows.

As usual, Vijender refuses to get drawn into the verbal sparring. “I have been watching videos of his fights and I know what I need to do to stop him,” he says. “I don’t want to react. Whatever I do, I will do in the ring.”

Even 34-year-old Amuzu’s experience of 25 fights is not intimidating for Vijender. “When I tu­rned pro, I did not turn to face so­me rookie boxer. I am always ready for the best. Even as an amateur when you fight in the Olympics you fight against the best. So this too is not something over which I will lose sleep.”