Comeback man Vijender Singh set for great American dream

CHENNAI: Making a comeback after an injury lay-off is not always easy. More so in boxing where weight determines what category one shall fight in.

This has been the predicament of Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh over the last three months after he was forced to withdraw from a US fight due to injury in April.

“I need to shed four kilograms in the next four days,” said Vijender from Newark, New Jersey where he descended on Sunday for his Saturday bout. The fight night’s palpable excitement is augmented by the main fight that will feature another Olympic medallist and local lad Shakur Stevenson taking on Franklin Manzanilla in a featherweight bout.

Vijender’s 10-round Super Middleweight slugfest against Mike Snider will occupy the undercard at the Prudential Centre in Newark.

Vijender’s entourage (manager, coach and support staff) landed on Sunday evening and the boxer hit the gym on Monday. The weather in Newark is warmer than Manchester, where he had been training for this fight.

Getting acclimatised to weather conditions and a different time zone is critical in the build-up to the fight. “My coach Lee Beard has fixed a regimen that I would be following and definitely by Friday, the weigh-in day, I shall get back into the best shape possible,” said the 33-year-old.

“I have watched quite a few YouTube videos and other match visuals to know his (Snider) modus operandi in the ring,” said Vijender. “My coach and I have discussed the various possibilities we might face against Snider. We have strategised our game and I am hopeful of doing well.”

Vijender is hoping that the sprinkling of Indian diaspora in Newark would be thronging the Prudential Centre during the 10-round fight. Vijender has 10 fights under him with seven knockouts so far.

The WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion and WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion will be looking to make an impressive US debut that will take him closer to a world title which is his sole objective right now.

“Ultimately it’s the world title that matters,” he said.

“I am pretty hopeful of overcoming Snider’s challenge. I never think of my opponent as weak. He looks like a tough fighter but I will beat him.”  

After briefly dabbling in politics, Vijender is ready to put his injury behind him and get some much-needed action in the ring.