Former European champion and an experienced Australian boxer Kerry Hope dared India's knockout king Vijender Singh ahead of their WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight championship title to be held in New Delhi on July 16.
Vijender Singh said he is doing high intensity training ahead of his much-awaited title fight at home and hopes to 'knockout' Australian Kerry Hope early for the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship crown.
After becoming the first Indian to win a pro title, Vijender Singh said the real journey starts for him now in his quest to become the World champion in the professional circuit.
World Boxing Organisation (WBO) has sanctioned WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title and WBO Oriental Super Middleweight title between Vijender Singh and China's Zulpikar Maimaitiali in first week of August in Mumbai.
Vijender Singh's UK-based promoter Francis Warren tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian that he can't wait to see the Indian boxing sensation get a chance to challenge for the World title.
In front of a packed arena, in his first pro bout that lasted all ten rounds, Vijender Singh beat Kerry Hopes 98-92-98-92 and 100-92 in a close contest to win the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title fight in New Delhi on Saturday.
Vijender Singh will defend his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title against Francis Cheka in New Delhi on December 17.
'I have not fought in a 10-round fight before, but my training will help me give my best till the end.' 'If I get the opportunity to knock him out early I will go for it.'
'He has been in Bollywood movies, he has been in the Olympics three times, he has been all around the world fighting.' 'This is just another fight for Vijender and if you know the guy, he will fight like a champion.'
Vijender Singh broke into the World Boxing Organisation's (WBO) rankings at No 10 after being crowned its Asia Pacific super middleweight champion in Delhi last month.
"Be careful what you wish for, kid", was British boxing star Amir Khan's response to Vijender Singh and his promoters as they proposed a possible showdown between the two in the coming months.
Former European champion Kerry Hope was on Monday unveiled as Indian boxing star Vijender Singh's opponent for the eagerly-anticipated WBO Asia title bout to be held on July 16 in New Delhi.
'Boxing is a sport and sometimes one punch can make a difference.'
In Australian Kerry Hope, Vijender Singh faces a plucky opponent who has the potential to surprise the home favourite
Against the more seasoned Francis Cheka, Vijender Singh faces a tricky battle that he is favoured to win.
With Vikas Krishan making the cut for Olympics in the 75kg category, the door is shut on the much celebrated Vijender Singh, who was eyeing qualification to the Rio Games ever since the International Boxing Association (AIBA) allowed professional boxers to compete in the quadrennial showpiece.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modicongratulated Vijender Singh on clinching the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title, saying that the star boxer has made the country proud with his feat.
Getting a ringside view of the action were Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Indian Premier League commissioner Rajiv Shukla, Olympic champion boxer MC Mary Kom, star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, cricketers Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.
'I am feeling so nervous. I will be among so many big politicians.' 'It is a big responsibility and I hope I learn every day and do something for the people in whatever way I can.'
Vijender Singh's proposed double title fight against Oriental Super middleweight champion Zulpikar Maimaitiali is back on track for an August showdown.
Elated and exhausted in equal measure after being crowned the WBO Asia Pacific champion, Indian boxing star Vijender Singh says he will savour the triumph for a while before looking at the possibility of a showdown with Pakistan-origin British star Amir Khan, who is keen for a face-off with him.
Vijender Singh believes his bout against Australia's Kerry Hope -- for the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight crown -- will go a long way in determining the future of pro boxing in the country.
'A few months ago, everybody was saying, "Why isn't Vijender taking part in the Olympics?"' 'This is not like going to Haryana or Delhi that you just take a ticket and reach there.' 'Going to the Olympics is not easy'
The United Sates will continue its fight against the Taliban while seeking a political solution to the Afghan imbroglio, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday even as he rejected Pakistan's concerns on American drone strikes.
It is the the biggest fight of his emergent professional career, but Indian boxing star Vijender Singh said the WBO Asia title contest against Kerry Hope is no huge deal for him and he is taking it as just another stepping stone in the circuit. The 30-year-old dasher, who is unbeaten in the professional arena, has won all his bouts via konckouts. Eyeing a seventh knockout in what is meant to be a 10-round contest, Vijender said his approach to the contest is no different from the one he had for his previous bouts.
Confident but not complacent ahead of his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title defence this Saturday, Indian boxing star Vijender Singh has been working with a strength coach -- John Joyce -- to prepare for the face-off against former world champion Francis Cheka.
Ex-world champ Cheka 'ready to put Vijender in his place'
'Vijender is a power puncher, he is a smart boxer as well.' Lee Beard, Vijender Singh's trainer, highlights why the Indian boxer is the favourite for Saturday's double title clash.
Vijender Singh might say that he would give Olympic qualification a shot after doors were thrown open for professional boxers but his UK-based promoter Francis Warren, on Monday, made it clear that India's biggest star simply does not have the time left to try for a Rio ticket.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, vote for the best Indian sportsperson of the year.
An Olympic campaign saved by the fortitude of three women, a cricket team that rediscovered itself under a bold and zealous Virat Kohli -- Indian sports in 2016 was a dramatic mix of highs and lows wherein athletes mostly raised the bar but administrators found new ways to embarrass the country.
'If a person whom Vijender had thrashed earlier is now a World champion, why can't Vijender be champion now too?'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances