Vijender to meet 26-year-old Brit Sonny Whiting in his first pro boxing bout

Manchester: Ace Indian boxer Vijender Singh will meet rising British boxer Sonny Whiting in his eagerly-anticipated professional debut scheduled here on October 10.  The Olympic bronze medal winning Indian boxer’s first professional bout will be against the 26-year-old Kentish fighter,who has a professional record of    2-1.                                                      

 Vijender does not expect his much-awaited professional boxing debut to be a cakewalk. He had the following to say about the fight, “I know that my opponent Sonny Whiting will not be an easy first fight. He has already had three fights so he'll be prepared and I hear that he wants to defeat me in my first pro fight. He won't beat me; I'm so focused and determined on what I have to do.” 

Whiting, who is training under former pro boxer Johnny Greaves, said he is confident of upstaging the celebrated Indian."I don't care who is in front of me on the night, they're going to get beat, plain and simple. I hear that Singh is a massive superstar in India, well I'll be looking to send a brutal message back to his home when I beat him," Whiting said.

"He's entering the world of the professionals now and it's going to be hard for him, he might have done plenty in the amateurs but that will count for nothing now. I'll make sure I give him a good welcome," added the 27-year-old, who has one knockout win to his credit so far.The 29-year-old Vijender, who is arguably India’s most successful amateur boxer, has relocated to Manchester to train under famed boxing trainer Lee Beard, and his current fellow fighters are Jack Catterall, Adrian Gonzalez and Jimmy Kelly.      

Not complacent with his amateur success-stories, Vijender is damn serious about his preparations for a professional career, as he stated, “It is like I'm starting my boxing career all over again. Even though I accomplished so much as an amateur boxer, to begin my professional career I've had to start all over again with my training to prepare for my pro debut and it has been a very exciting time.” Speaking about his preparations, the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist added "It is getting very close to my professional debut now and I can't wait for it. I have trained very hard and diligently for this fight in Manchester with Lee Beard who has been instrumental in refining my style from the amateur way of fighting into the professional sport which is totally different."                                                                             

“There has been a lot of changes and a lot of things we have been working on like the technical aspect of boxing, changing my diet and training schedule, the physical and mental preparation, it has all been important and I believe that I'm ready to fight,” Vijender said.Vijender Singh’s fight will co-feature a star-studded card that has two title clashes – Terry Flanagan (C) vs. Diego Magdaleno for the WBO Lightweight title and Liam Smith vs. John Thompson for the WBO Super-Welterweight Championship.

                                                                                    (Our Sports Correspondent)