What’s the story?
Current IBO World Super middleweight champion Ronald Quinlan, who is currently scheduled to defend his title against England’s Chris Eubank Junior has expressed his desire to fight India’s very own Vijender Singh in the near future. With a current win/loss ratio of 11:1, the 27-year old has received accolades from prolific pugilists such as Floyd Mayweather, owing to his aggressive style in the ring.
The fighter Ronald is scheduled to face is represented by Vijender Singh’s agent Frank Warren. On being asked by Sportskeeda whether he would like to fight any of his fighters, he said, “Vijender Singh, I’ve been noticing his moves in the ring, of late, he seems like a very technical boxer and my style is exactly opposite to that. I’ve also heard of Luke Blackledge and Jamie Cox fighting very well, so they are potential opponents from me. In fact, if you know Vijender ask them to contact my representatives.”
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Vijender recently defeated Tanzania’s Francis Cheka via knockout to establish a commanding 8:0 beginning to his professional career. His promoters, IOS Boxing also confirmed that he’s looking for a title fight in the coming few months. However, he is unlikely to fight before March 2017.
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Vijender has won seven of his last eight bouts via knockout, including his victory against Australia’s Kerry Hope on home soil to become the new WBO Asia Super Middleweight champion. The Haryana boxer’s victory over Cheka was the quickest in his short but sweet pro career as the match lasted only two rounds.
The 31-year old also moved into the world top 10 in the Super Middleweight category, thanks to this victory. His last fight was also the highest yet, garnering as many as 60 million viewers, matching sports such as football and badminton in the process.
Heart of the Matter
Quinlan added, “I have seen Vijender’s fight on Youtube, and I would like to fight him. I don’t know whether the time or situation will make it happen, but from a complete boxer to boxer point of view, I can say that our fight would be very entertaining. I personally like breaking down technical pugilists and I feel his strength lies in his technicality. Some of the boxers back home in Australia also speak very highly of it.”
Vijender was unavailable to comment on the interest from the World Champion, but a spokesperson from IOS stated their schedule for 2017 is ready. He said, “Both Vijender and Neerav are aware of the development, but our schedule for every month almost is in place, so it will be difficult for us to act on this. However, once they are back in town, we will discuss the matter and take a call. I don’t think they are aware of this.”
The biggest predicted obstacle will be that both the fighters represent rival organisation in IBO and WBO. The spokesperson added, “We are also affiliated to Queensbury Promotions, we cannot take a call without referring to them. They also need to be on board with this. I can’t give an official statement on this, but we will definitely make a collective statement on this.”
Sportskeeda’s Take
This is probably the biggest opportunity in Vijender’s pro career so far. Winning a world title will not only further increase his brand value in India, but also create a buzz on the global market. Vijender can further capitalise on the ongoing fervour, apart from truly establishing himself as a kingpin in the Super Middleweight category.
