Unbeaten Vijender ready to cruise in comeback bout

CHENNAI: ‘All hands on the deck’ — yes, that’s the call Vijender Singh is getting used to. He loves to experiment, improvise and embrace change. Vijender has the propensity to try new things and this time it has landed him on a cruise off the coast of Goa. He will face a 26-year-old Russian for a piece of bragging
right and in his bid to earn the sobriquet of the undefeated Singh.

Vijender still remembers his last fight in Goa. “It was in 2003, 18 years ago,” he said over the phone. Yes, it was way back in 2003 when he used to fight in 64kg. “It was totally different,” he said. “And this time on a cruise.” Well it never happened before and who knows, perhaps it is just the beginning?

The 35-year-old professional boxer is ready for a lesser-known Russian Artysh Lopsan who is nine years younger than him on Friday. Not much is known about the boxer except what boxrec.com is saying. He has six bouts under his belt, according to the website. More than the opponent, it’s the cruise, the casino, the glitz and glamour surrounding the feature event that’s creating more buzz. However, for Vijender, if it’s a business it needs to be dealt with professionally.

“I am ready for the fight,” he said. “His height and reach will be tricky but I will be able to counter it.” He is some 3kg overweight two days before the fight but that was not a concern.

Coming to fight after such a long gap too is challenging. He is used to fighting with his trainer Lee Beard in the corner. But because of the pandemic, he is not being able to train with him. “It’s been more than a year when I fought. My last fight was in Dubai in 2019,” he said. “But no complains because it has happened because of the pandemic. In the entire world including the UK and the US professional bouts stopped. And yes, I miss Lee Beard from my corner.”

The WBO Oriental and WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight champion also opens up about his love for politics. “Yes I love boxing a lot and would love to keep boxing all my life but I love politics too,” he said. The Beijing Olympic bronze medallist said if there is something wrong going on in the country he would
not keep quiet. “If there is anything wrong happening in the country I will speak against it. I cannot keep quiet. I would keep boxing as long as I can and would also be involved with politics.” When the bell is rung on Friday, Vijender would usher in a new trend — boxing on a cruise.