Vijender Singh will shift base from the United Kingdom to the United States in search of better boxing opportunities and professional glory in the coming year. “The target is to fight at Madison Square Garden,” the celebrated boxer said here on Thursday.
“I am excited to join the team,” said Vijender. “We will meet Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia — they are the best trainers in the world. I will go to the Freddie Roach gym in Los Angeles, but personally I prefer San Francisco. I like it there because there is a big Indian community there.”
The Madison Square Garden
On his move to train and fight in the US, Vijender remarked, “America is any boxer’s dream. It is mine too, When I met Bob (Arum), I told him it is my dream to fight in Madison Square Garden, so he was excited. He said we will plan and see if it can be done.”
Vijender was all praise for Indian boxing. “I have been following Indian boxing. I was in the US for my contract when Mary Kom became the World champion again. In men’s boxing, we have Amit Pangal. I tweeted when he got the Asian Games gold medal, which is a big thing. But there is a lot to do. This is just the start and they (boxers) should be provided with all kind of support — mental, physical or medical. Olympics 2020 is not very far. We should prepare for it.”
The road ahead for India
Indian boxing, in Vijender’s opinion, was cut out for professional boxing. “We have quantity. What we need is quality. There are hundreds of boxers waiting for the right opportunity. We need a proper road map and structure for them but we don’t have it right now because professional boxing is new for India. It will take time to be set up like any other sport. We can do that, and there is time to reach that level.”
Vijender believes he is progressing well personally. “I am on the right track. I am not saying I am doing excellent, but I am doing okay. I am going slowly. My coach always said ‘take the right fight at the right time’. So if I get a fight in February or March I will go for that. Maybe at the end of the next year we will give the World title a shot.”
For Vijender, nothing could match the joy of an Olympic medal. “Because of the Olympics, people know me. Before that, no one knew me or cared about me. That medal made me Vijender Singh and that is always special. It will always be at the top and bigger than everything.”
