It's time I get him down onto the ground, says Vijender Singh's next opponent Zulpikar Maimaitiali

What’s the story?

Chinese middleweight champ Zulpikar Maimaitiali is in rigorous preparation and seems to be very confident that he will be able to knock off India’s homegrown champion Vijender Singh during their next face off. The two boxers are set to face each other for a double title fight next month.

The context

The Battleground Asia event featuring the two middleweight champs is slated to be held on the 5^th of August at the NSCI, Mumbai.

The event will also have Olympic quarter-finalists Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar along with WBC Asia welterweight champion Neeraj Goyat, Kuldeep Dhanda, Pardeep Kharera, and Dharmendra Grewal.

The heart of the matter

Chinese No. 1 Maimaitiali has been training for close to ten hours everyday with the sole purpose of defeating Singh and guarantee a knockout win for himself. He doesn’t shy away from talking about this on a public platform either.

Maimaitiali claims that he understands Singh’s traits and limitations very well and is preparing himself to counter the same. After thoroughly watching Singh, Maimaitiali, along with his trainer, has devised a meticulous strategy to tackle the undefeated Indian. He plans to take Singh by surprise and prove to him that he is no ‘kid’.

The Chinese also happens to believe that he will be the toughest opponent that the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight champion has ever faced in his pro boxing career.

Singh has been unbeaten since he started his career in 2015. He has seven knockout wins since then. While Maimaitiali has the same record, he has a lesser number of knockout wins.

This can prove to be both of advantage and a weakness to either of the players. The younger of the two, Maimaitiali promises to threaten Sigh’s position and seems convinced that his age will count as a big factor. Calling Singh too old, he concludes that it would be harder for the Indian to watch himself lose to a younger player.

What’s next?

Both the champions are in rigorous practice to give the best of their performances. While Maimaitiali has been very vocal about his place in the game, we are yet to hear what the Indian boxer has to respond with. The game is scheduled to take place in three weeks.

Author’s take

While age can play a huge role in deciding how one performs, Singh’s experience is not something to be belittled. He maybe humble and silent off the game, but he is definitely loud and clear in the ring. Only time will tell who will be the first to get knocked over to the ground.