The WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion who will battle for a double title in the ring with China’s no. 1 in the city is positive about the support.
Beijing Olympic Games bronze medalist, Vijender Singh is excited about his professional bout against Zulipikaer Maimaitiali for a double title fight at the NSCI Dome in Worli on August 5. The battle between the top boxers of India and China will decide on the ‘King of Asia’ when WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion Vijender will take on China’s No.1 boxer and WBO Oriental Super Middleweight champion, Maimaitiali.
After turning professional in 2015, Vijender has scored eight wins in eight bouts and seven of them by knocking out the opponent. The Bhiwani boxer, who tried his hand in Bollywood briefly by starring in the film Fugly, will be back in Mumbai for the first ever professional bout in the city.
It will be an exciting fight since both the boxers are undefeated in their respective countries and hold almost the same record of having fought eight bouts since they turned professional.
Lee Beard, Akhil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Neerav Tomar, Zulpikar Maimaitiali, Neeraj Goyat, Jitender Kumar
The event will feature other fighters in undercard fights. The 2008 Olympic trio of Vijender, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar will be seen after a gap of nine years in the professional ring. WBC Asia Welterweight champion Neeraj Goyat, Pardeep Kharera, Dharmender Grewal and Kuldeep Dhanda are the other names that will be a part of ‘Battleground Asia’.
The 31-year-old Vijender has invited many Bollywood stars for the bout and presented the first ticket to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The fight night will witness the presence of key Bollywood stars, sportspersons, politicians and other celebrities from various fields. But the boxing heartthrob wants the average Mumbaikar to turn up for the fight night, which will be a significant step to promote boxing in India.
“I have invited Sachin sir and many Bollywood celebrities for the fight night. It is going to be an exciting night for everyone. I am not sure whether all the invitees will come as they might be busy, but Mumbaikars matter to me. It will boost interest in professional boxing if they come in numbers and will go a long way in promoting it in India. If the show will go well, we will take the Pro-Boxing to Kolkata and Chennai as well,” Vijender said from Manchester.
The undefeated professional boxer from India is training hard in Manchester with coach Lee Beard to get ready for next month’s bout. As Vijender is an orthodox boxer and Maimaitali is a southpaw, the Indian is making sure he changes his technique a bit to counter his opponent. Vijender, who was here on June 27 to unveil his opponent, is set to come to Mumbai a week before the bout.
“Please come support my fight. We will rock the show. We have seven-eight fights on the night, and it will be exciting. I am confident there will be loud cheering from the people who will enjoy the bout,” he said.
“We’ve already had two successful fights in New Delhi. It was about time we moved to a different city and what better option than the glamorous Mumbai. We are confident of putting up a great show for the people of Mumbai and boxing fans all around the world,” Neerav Tomar, promoter, IOS Boxing, which is organising the fight, said.
The tickets Mumbai will be available on www.bookmyshow.com and are priced from Rs 1,200 to Rs 12,000 in different categories. Tickets for general stands are divided into two categories, Purple and Blue stand at Rs 1,200 and Bronze Stand for Rs 1,500.
The Ringside tickets are divided into three categories — Silver Rs 3,000, Gold Rs 8,000 and Diamond Rs 12,000 respectively.
“The response from Mumbaikars has been fantastic ever since we started the ticket sale. We are getting a good response. I love the city of Mumbai, the people here are very welcoming, and the vibe of is exhilarating,” Vijender signed off.
