Vijender Singh steps up the trash talk, opponent Samet Hyuseinov says he should stick to films

Will Hyuseinov’s verbal taunts get to Vijender?

Vijender Singh will enter unchartered waters for the first time in his professional career, as he faces a much more experienced fighter in a longer fight. Vijender, whose first two bouts were four-rounders, is scheduled for six rounds against 14-fight Bulgarian veteran Samet Hyuseinov.

The “V-Bomber” has cut through his first two opponents like a hot knife through butter. Sonny Whiting, Vijender’s first victim, was finished in the 3^rd round and Dean Gillen was dispatched within the first in Vijender’s sophomore fight. With English fighters reluctant to step into the ring, opponents from elsewhere had to be approached, according to Times of India.

The Indian Olympian’s third fight takes on another hue, not just because of its duration, but the build-up to the fight. Hyuseinov had said in a press conference that Vijender will be “beaten and broken”, which the Indian laughed off and responded to saying, “How do you respond to such threats? I can only laugh, let him say what he feel like. He has all the freedom to say what he wants. But I talk only in the ring and in a language he will understand quite well.”

While Vijender has been quite succinct when it comes to trash talking, preferring to opine on his strategy and the fight, his recent statements seemed to have touched a nerve with Hyuseinov.

Vijender said,”I feel in tremendous shape and ready to punch holes in Hyuseinov on Saturday night. It's another progression in my boxing career to move up to six rounds, but I really don't feel I'll need them against Hyuseinov.

“While it's good to get rounds and experience under my belt I want excitement and knockouts, the rounds will come as we move up into title fights, right now I want to take opponents out as quickly as I can, three rounds, maybe, against Hyuseinov.

“He won't be in for the distance against me that's for sure, once I start lining him up with the jabs and get my distance and then start dropping big hard rights in, he won't be lasting too long.”

Hyuseinov begged to differ with Vijender, saying,”For all his insults I will make him pay. He is just a two-fight kid, two fights and he's talking like he's a world champion. This man has been disrespectful to me and questioned my fighting ability by saying that he will knockout me out before six rounds, what a joke, for that I will make sure that I hurt him.

“Nobody will talk to me as if I am a journeyman and I will not let a raw novice boxer, who in my eyes is just a play-actor boxer and should stick to acting in films, say he will knock me out.

Watch on Saturday, he says he doesn't need six rounds to knock me out, but I will hit him for six.”

Boxing is as much a psychological game as a physical one, and it remains to be seen if Vijender’s demeanour in the ring will be influenced by all the pre-fight banter.