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Boxing is one of the oldest forms of contact sport, and the earliest known depiction of the sport traces back to Sumerian civilization in Iraq around 3rd millennium BC.
However, Modern day boxing is divided into two-parts i.e Amateur boxing and Professional boxing.
At the highest level, Amateur boxing is a part of the Olympics and other major international sporting events. Indian boxers haven't had the brightest luck in the Olympics as only two Indian boxers have managed to win a medal at the Olympic games.
Vijender Singh was the first Indian to have won an Olympic medal. He won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics games back in 2008.
The second Indian to have won at the Olympic Games is MC Mary Kom, as she bagged a bronze medal at the London Olympic games back in 2012.
However, at the highest level of professional boxing, Indian boxers haven't achieved anything significant yet.
The first mainstream Indian boxer to turn professional was Vijender Singh. However, in recent times more Indian boxers are ditching amateur boxing to turn professional for bigger paydays.
Professional boxing is very glamorous, as top boxers are making millions of dollars and fighting in exotic locations like Las Vegas and New York. Pro Boxers now engage in verbal trash talking to sell their fights that appeal to more casual sports fans.
Big networks invest a lot of money into the sport in hopes that boxer later goes on to sell pay-per-views.
Many boxers like Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez etc are global superstars and they generate hundreds of millions of dollars for manager, promoters, networks etc.
Here are 3 Indian boxers who can become world champions in Pro-Boxing.
#3 Neeraj Goyat
Neeraj Goyat (10-3-2) turned professional back in November 2011 and he fought Gou Wen Dong of China in his debut. However, the fight didn't go as planned for Goyat and he ended up losing the bout via a close split decision.
But Neeraj has come a long way since then as he has won 10 of his last 11 fights. He won his first major title back in May 2015 when he defeated Nelson Gulpe of the Philippines to win the WBC Asian council world welterweight title.
His last fight was against Ernesto Cardona Sanchez of Mexico, where he defeated him via a unanimous decision.
Back in October 2016, he was ranked No. 35 in the World Boxing Council welterweight rankings after his victory over Ben Kite of Australia.
Now Neeraj is all set to fight former two-time world champion Amir Khan on July 12, 2019, at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. A win against Khan could mean a title shot against other champions in the division.
#2 Vikas Krishan Yadav
Vikas Krishan Yadav (1-0-0) is one of the most decorated amateur boxers of India. He won gold medals in 2010 Asian Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
He also won a bronze medal at the 2011 world amateur boxing championship. He has represented India in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic games.
He made his professional debut earlier this year on January 18, 2019, against Steven Andrade of the United States at the Turning stone resort & Casino in New York. He won his debut via TKO in the first round. He fought in the junior middleweight division.
Vikas brutally beat his opponent with body shots and dropped him twice in the opening round. However, with just under one minute left in the clock, the referee stopped the fight before Vikas could inflict any more damage.
He has an aggressive boxing style which makes his ideal for professional boxing. His style makes for an entertaining fight which will help attract fans.
He has a terrific amateur pedigree. Vikas can definitely win a world title in professional boxing. He has a great style, good footwork, and decent pop in his punches.
Vikas signed a promotional deal with legendary promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank promotions, which has promoted legends like Muhammad Ali, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao etc. Top Rank also has a network deal with sports broadcasting giant ESPN, which will help Vikas get exposure to millions of sports fans.
#1 Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh is without a doubt the most popular boxer in India. He also has a terrific boxing record having won a Bronze medal at the Olympic in 2008 and then a world championship bronze in 2009. Vijender has won a medal in every major international tournament.
He turned pro back in October 2015 and signed a promotional agreement with the Queensbury promotion in the UK.
He has had 10 pro fights since then and he is undefeated so far. Since turning pro, Vijender has won two minor regional titles. He won the WBO Asia-Pacific super middleweight title back in July 2016 when he defeated Kerry Hope of Australia via unanimous decision.
He then fought Zulipikaer Maimaitiali of China in August 2017 where Singh defeated him via unanimous decision to win the WBO Oriental super middleweight title.
He was also ranked top 10 in the world by the World Boxing Organisation back in 2016. He has also signed a promotional agreement with Bob Arum's Top Rank promotion and will make his US-debut soon.
