When Vijender Singh decided to turn professional last year, he was roundly criticised and called selfish for cutting short his amateur career and not representing India at world and continental events. But on Saturday, the Haryana boxer beat Australia's Kerry Hope to win the World Boxing Organisation (WBO)'s Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title and the whole nation was applauding the poster boy of Indian boxing, including the President and the Prime Minister.
The win certainly has put Indian boxing in the spotlight, for once for a good reason. The Indian boxing administration has been in a mess since 2012 when the federation was first suspended due to manipulation in elections. A new body, Boxing India, which took shape in 2014 was also terminated last year after a rebellion by the state units. The sport is currently being administered by an ad-hoc committee of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). As a result, Indian boxers have been forced to compete under the AIBA flag in major events, denying them the right to fight under their own country’s name. And there is a very real possibility that at Rio 2016 the Indian boxers will have to fight under the International Olympic Committee banner.
But Vijender's win will certainly give young amateur boxers hope and some of them are already moving towards professional boxing. In fact, for the Indian boxers who fought as undercards prior to Vijender's fight, it was their first brush with pro boxing. For them, Vijender is the harbinger of better prospects. In fact, Vijender's fight was dubbed as the defining test for pro boxing in India. For now, the dashing six-footer has delivered.
But it is now going to get bigger, and Vijender will have to work harder to make it better. The win against Hope -- his seventh in his nascent unbeaten pro career -- has propelled Vijender to the 15th spot in WBO rankings and he will have to defend his title in the next two months. Ideally, he would want to move up the rankings by taking on higher ranked rivals and ultimately stake a claim for the world title. For him, there's no going back. It will get tougher in the championship round tackling opponents in 10-12 round matches. It won't be as easy to knock out rivals as he has done so far.
However, there's no denying that the Bhiwani sensation is already a legend. After all, he was also the first Indian to earn an Olympic medal in boxing (bronze) in 2008. And now he is India's first champion in professional boxing. The go-getter that he is, his decision to go for the glory in the professional arena is a calculated one. And there are many famous stories of Olympic medal winners turning pro and making it big in the ruthless, moolah-raking sport. Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather have all been there and done that.
The fact that Vijender had to face criticism for his decision to turn pro is unfortunate. Be it amateur or pro boxing, it's an Indian champion out there. He still proudly displays the tri-colour when he wins; even his shorts are themed around the country's flag. After his win on Saturday, Vijender said: "This is about India. It's not about me!" And the journey has just begun for the Indian champion.
