Ready to fight Amir Khan any day any time... why doesn’t he fight me?
Since clinching bronze at 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Singh, the first Indian boxer to bag an Olympics medal, has come a long way. Vijender now holds the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight pro belt and will take on China’s Zulpikar Maimaitiali in Mumbai on August 5. Maimaitiali is WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight champion and the two will fight as challenger and champion with both the title at stake. Vijender, who is training in UK, spoke to HT. Excerpts
Your preparations against a southpaw like Maimaitiali...
It makes no difference if your opposition is a southpaw apart from the technique. I’ve fought with many southpaws. There’s a bit of footwork involved and a southpaw usually fights with the right hand only and if you can block him there, his game is over.
Will your eightmatch winning streak give you an edge?
The are two titles at stake, so I really need to win this match. Winning is everything for me and to choose the right fight at the right time. I need to be careful. In my amateur career, I’ve won so many and lost so many but that doesn’t matter.
Recently, Amir Khan said you should be fighting tougher opponents and the last thing he wants is you to get branded as a fraud…
That (branded as a fraud) can be his opinion but I just want to tell him that I’m ready to fight him anytime anywhere. If I can beat him, then what? If he wants to talk about me why
doesn’t he fight me? Not just Khan, Pradeep Singh Sihag too, who has been challenging you, stating that your techniques are not right… See, I just started. There are so many boys and people don’t know them and they’re trying to get media attention in this manner. I think first you should prove yourself, get an Olympics medal, an Asian Games medal, a Commonwealth medal and then you talk about me.
If you were to pick out one significant thing that has changed in your life since 2009 what would that be?
When I bagged the Olympics medal, I was 23-and-a-halfyears-old. Then you’re full of energy. The name, fame and everything’s there. What more do you want? But now I’ve a family, I have a kid; I’ve settled down and become more responsible I feel. I’ve become more straight-forward with my decisions as well.
Any intentions to go back to Bollywood?
I already have a number of offers! I’ve been got offers from Hollywood reality shows but I’m busy with my boxing and as my wife says, once my boxing career is over, then you can think of something in Bollywood.