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What is it?
Indian poster boy of professional boxing Vijender Singh will face Lee Markham for the vacant Commonwealth super middleweight title on 13th of July. Last time when Vijender fought against Ghana's Ernest Amuzu in December 2017 he was not challenged much as Amuzu could not pose much threat to a technically superior Vijender.
This time he faces a British boxer who has been inactive for more than a year. The activity level of Vijender's Singh's pro career needs improvement. Super Middleweight category right now is lacking the momentum and after the retirement of Carl Froch, things seem to be moving slowly without making much noise. This is a blessing in disguise for Vijender Singh as he can quickly rise to the top provided He and Queensberry Promotion develop an enhanced risk-taking attitude.
Lee Markham (22M-17W-4L-1D)
The 31-year-old British boxer is not known as a ferocious puncher. After evaluating his record and the videos available on the internet, he seems to be technically sound and durable with a decent hand speed. Of all his losses, Lee has never been knocked out. He is capable of going the distance without losing much steam and since this time Vijender is fighting in Britain, it can prove to be a major hurdle as Vijender is going to need a knock-out more than his opponent does.
Lee lost his last match against another British boxer Joe Mullender and has been inactive since. Vijender will be looking to take advantage of the ring rust which Markham would have probably developed.
Vijender Singh (10M-10W-0L)
In India, Vijender Singh is a well-known athlete. After turning pro he has inspired a lot of Indian boxers to take up professional boxing including Commonwealth champion Vikas Krishan who has already expressed his desire to turn pro.
Vijender has been successful until now in his career but the real challenge has only begun to arrive. If Vijender wins this match then tough opponents including Rocky Fielding, Gilberto Ramirez, George Groves, Callum Smith, Rohan Murdock could be next. In his last fight against Amuzu, Vijender looked very sharp.
Vijender's technical abilities are well known and his durability is beyond doubt. His stamina was also better in his last fight as he was trying to knock out his opponent until the last round. The only thing to worry right now is time.
Vijender will turn 33 in October and his peak years are not going to return. It's better if team Vijender is able to manage bigger fights because the clock is ticking.
What to expect
This is not an easy fight but Vijender cannot afford to lose at all as this is a make or break fight for him. Vijender has fought the previous four of his fights in India and hence the home advantage was definitely there but this time that will not be the case.
Going by the talent level of the two boxers 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist definitely has an edge but Vijender must try to win this fight via knockout or else the Judges may think otherwise.
Prediction
Vijender has the technical ability and the power to deliver a knockout. The author believes Vijender's 8th knockout win is about to arrive.
