Vijender Singh, the 2008 Olympics middleweight bronze medallist, has been out of the ring for a year and a half, but will be back soon. For the past couple of weeks, the Indian boxing ace has been training here to get back in shape for his next professional bout. Excerpts:
How is the training going?
I’m presently undergoing hardcore training sessions with my team under the watchful eyes of trainer Lee Beard. It feels good to be back.
In March, you suffered an injury. Does it make you conscious and how careful are you these days?
I told my coach that I suffered an injury and he asked me to apply a lot of petroleum jelly so that things get better. We have done eight rounds of sparring and we will do two more sessions this week. Before the fight, there will be 10-15 sparring sessions. It’s part of the training programme. Sometimes you get injured, but it’s okay. If you are into boxing, you are bound to get punched.
From the US to the UK, it has been a busy few months. You also had a stint in politics. How was the experience of contesting the Lok Sabha elections?
In life, I want to do everything that comes my way. So, when the opportunity to contest the polls came, I took up the challenge. It was a great learning experience. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't, but in the process you end up knowing a lot of things. So, I will do it again.
Who are the upcoming boxers in India?
Amit Panghal has done brilliantly; so has Shiva Thapa. There is enough talent and the youngsters are trying to achieve something. Hopefully, one day we will get another Vijender Singh if I get proper support from the administration.
That means you are open to coaching?
Yeah, why not! You should pass on your knowledge to the next generation. I want to mentor the youngsters.
