On August 22, 2008, Vijender Singh did just that when he lost his semi-final bout at the Beijing Olympics. But the bronze medal he settled for was the first any Indian boxer won at the world's biggest sporting event. He completes a "life-changing" year since that feat on Saturday, but Vijender says it is just like yesterday for him.
As the search for a Cuban coach for Indian boxers continues, country's only Olympic medal winner in the sport Vijender Singh on Monday said a foreigner is not needed as home-grown coaches can do the job well enough. Ever since Cuban B I Fernandes' contract expired, the Indian Boxing Federation has been hunting for a foreign coach, preferably another Cuban, to fill the void.
'I want to give this title to the people of China because it is all about peace, it is all about India-China friendship.'
He has been picked for both the Commonwealth and the Asian Games but Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh on Tuesday said he is still unhappy with the way selection trials for the two events were conducted as some "deserving" boxers have been left out.
Beijing Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh said given a chance he would not mind stepping in clean to up the mess that the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation finds itself in following the ban imposed by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
The cricket fraternity, including new T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav and new head coach Gautam Gambhir, also joined in to congratulate the duo.
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.
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.
The Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi answer what action he took against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh when issues were allegedly flagged to him by a wrestler in 2021.
The continuing administrative logjam worsened into a full-fledged factional tug-of-war while Indian boxing's poster boy, Vijender Singh, found himself at the center of a devastating drug scandal in what was a thoroughly tumultuous year for the country's pugilists.
World Boxing Champion and World No 1, Vijender Singh said coached don't help much when it comes to making his ward mentally tough.
'I did not charge a rupee for that show, but Rohit (Bal) gifted me the suit I had walked in. 'I still have it as a memento of a man who was an institution and an inspiration.'
Indian boxing's image continued to take a massive beating with the Sports Authority of India on Sunday expelling Olympic medallist Vijender Singh's roommate Ram Singh from the national camp here after he confessed to consuming drugs.
Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and boxing hero Vijender Singh are among six sportspersons who were named brand ambassadors on Tuesday for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Vijender Singh is determined to keep the record with a world title to boot as he enters the new decade donning multiple hats, including the one of an active politician "with strong opinions". The 34-year-old trailblazing boxer, who delivered India's first Olympic and men's world championship medals in boxing back in 2008 and 2009, has logged an enviable 12-0 record in the professional circuit, which he entered in 2015.
India's Vijender Singh got off to a smashing start in the men's boxing event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, on Friday.
With the Ireland weather similar to London, this is basically seen as a trip to help the young squad get acclimatized to the conditions likely to be encountered at the Olympic Games.
Indian boxers bagged three gold and one silver medal in the third Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune on Friday.
"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.
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.
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.
Vijender Singh (75kg) turned in a solid showing despite being down with viral fever to beat Sweden's Hampus Henriksson in his opening bout at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.
After successfully defending the WBO Asia-Pacific title India's boxing star Vijender Singh will next be on the prowl for a new belt and could possibly be challenging for the Commonwealth or the Oriental crown in the next couple of months.
India's boxing ace Vijender Singh outclassed Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Prince in the men's 75kg category to reach the semi-finals and assure himself of a medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Vijender and Losan will square off on March 19 in a super middle-weight (76kg) showdown in Goa
Worried about the administrative logjam in Indian boxing, recently-crowned WBO Asia Pacific champion Vijender Singh pleaded with the officials to put together a new federation at the earliest for the sake of country's pugilists.
Led by Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh, Indian pugilists stole the limelight on the ninth day of the competitions with four of them assuring silver medals for India while paddlers Achanta Sharath Kamal and Anthony Amalraj bagged a silver in the men's doubles event of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday.
For the first time, three top sportspersons -- boxers M C Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, and wrestler Sushil Kumar -- were selected for the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. While the prestigious award was previously shared by two sportspersons in 1996-97 and 2002-03, Wednesday marked the first time that three were picked for the coveted honour for outstanding performances in 2008-09.
Vijender Singh (75kg) took just over a minute to pull off an intimidating knock-out win and assure himself of a second successive Commonwealth Games medal. However, it was curtains for defending champion Akhil Kumar who was beaten by Olympic bronze-medallist Bruno Julie in the boxing quarter-finals of the event in New Delhi on Sunday.
Olympic hero Vijender Singh was, on Saturday, ousted in the very first round, upstaged by his Cuban nemesis Emilio Correa Bayeux, but Jai Bhagwan entered the second round on a mixed day for Indian boxers at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Vijender, who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, has signed up with popular British boxing promoter Francis Warren in the UK.
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.
'Boxing is all about being aggressive and maintaining a tempo while you are in the ring. I film-making I realised how important it was to take a step back and be patient.'
More than eight months after he won India its first Olympic medal in boxing, Vijender Singh returns to the ring, confident that the time away from action would not make him rusty when he dons the gloves in a European Grand Prix event from May 13 to 18. The 23-year-old middle weight bronze medallist from the Beijing Olympics would be up against top boxers from Europe and Cuba in the event.
Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Shreevats Goswami spoke out-some demanding an immediate and total severing of sporting ties with Pakistan.
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.
India's long-serving boxing coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu is realistic about his wards chances at this year's London Olympics and said he would happy if the pugilists of the country could repeat the feat of 2008 Beijing Games.
A day before they start trading punches among themselves, boxers in an inter-zonal tournament, a virtual selection trial for the Commonwealth Championships, were fuming over shabby accommodation arrangements at the event.
The Indian men's boxing team's preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games seems to have taken a slight knock after visa delays looks certain to force them to cancel their trip to France for a training-cum-preparation camp.
