‘I’ll be Vijender’s toughest challenge’
Aiming to “surprise” Vijender Singh in his own backyard, WBO Oriental super middleweight champion Zulpikar Maimaitiali says he is training 10 hours a day to ensure a knockout win.
WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight champion Vijender will face China’s no.1 Maimaitiali for a double title fight on the August 5 at NSCI, Mumbai.
“I take every bout seriously and try to push myself to the limit every time. Vijender will be one of the rivals that I beat, I know his traits and I am preparing accordingly,” the 23-year-old said.
“I am putting in 10 hours every day into training to make sure Vijender is knocked out in the first 2-3 rounds itself. On August 5, Vijender will actually face the toughest opponent in his pro boxing career,” he added.
Maimaitiali said he had worked out a plan to tame the Indian, who is unbeaten since his debut in 2015.
“My team has watched all his bouts. Vijender will be surprised when I throw punches at him, he thinks I am a kid, but he has no idea who I am,” he said.
The 31-year-old Vijender has seven knockout wins since his pro boxing debut. Maimaitiali also has an unbeaten record but with fewer knockout wins.
“Both of us have no loss record since pro debut, both of us have high ratio of KOs. As I said, the pressure should be on his side, as it will be too old for him to suffer and recover from a loss, what will be worse is losing from someone as young as me. He is considered the king of boxing in India, so he has started feeling like a king, its time I get him down onto the ground,” he said.
Other pro battles in the Battleground Asia section includes former Olympian Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, WBC Asia welterweight champion Neeraj Goyat, Kuldeep Dhanda, Pardeep Kharera, and Dharmendra Grewal.