What’s the story?
Indian boxing icon Vijender Singh will next be seen fighting in the ring in the month of July this year. He was set for a packed 2017 but has not featured even once, as a result of which he has terminated his contract with the UK-based Queensberry Promotions.
“I was promised six fights in a year and in the first year, they lived up to it. But last year, there were two title fights and their involvement was not as much as it should have been. It was there in the contract that I could walk away if I was not happy with the terms. So, I have decided to end it,” Vijender told the Press Trust of India.
He added, “The last two events were handled almost solely by my India promoters. So if that is to be the case, then what is the point of carrying on. So it is primarily about the number of fights I should have been getting.”
Neerav Tomar, who is the head of IOS Boxing Promotions, had earlier said that the Indian’s next fight will be held in July but now it has been confirmed that it will be on August 4 in Mumbai.
In case you didn’t know...
Vijender had been an amateur boxer for most of his career, winning multiple medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. The highlight of his career came in 2008 when he won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Also read: Fighting Vijender Singh will be a step backwards in my career, says Amir Khan
The heart of the matter
He turned pro in November 2015 and has been undefeated since, winning eight fights in a row with seven of them coming via knockout. He won the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title by defeating Kerry Hope in July last year, which he defended five months later by defeating Tanzanian Francis Cheka.
Since then, he has not had another opportunity to defend his crown or contest for another. In January this year, there were talks of him fighting as many as six bouts in 2017 as well as a possible fight against Commonwealth champion Zac Dunn in front of his home crowd in India.
Vijender would have certainly wanted to continue his rich vein of form and at just 31 years of age, he does not have much time left to maximise his potential and reach the pinnacle of the sport.
What’s next?
A matchup in July is on the cards for the 31-year-old and what his schedule is beyond that remains to be seen.
Author’s Take
It looks like a good move by him as he has been out of action for over five months now and is still untested against high-ranking boxers. He needs to feature in as many fights as possible and one hopes the change in management will help him make further progress.
