Pro Vijender unlikely to box in Rio
NEW DELHI: The International Boxing Association (AIBA) may have thrown the Olympic door open for professional boxers but it is unlikely that Indian star Vijender Singh would be able to grab the opportunity even though he is keen to make it.
Professional boxers would be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro provided the decision is ratified at the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on June 1 when the proposal would be put to vote.
The plan is to allow pro boxers qualify for Rio via the Aibaaffiliated World Series of Boxing (WSB) and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) event. Both these events, originally scheduled for May, could be pushed back to last week of June to give national federations enough time to send their entries.
“If given a chance, I would definitely try to qualify for the Olympics. Who would want to miss an opportunity if it is there,” Vijneder told PTI from Manchester where he is training for his next pro fight on March 12 in Liverpool
However, the question is wheth er there is any realistic opportu nity for him to give it a shot.
The 30-year-old middleweight’s schedule is sorted till June 11 when he will make his pro debut in India by fighting for his maid en title — the WBO Asia belt.
That India does not even have a national federation as of now is also an important factor given that the nominations for boxers in WSB and APB will be left to respective national bodies.