Ever since turning to pro boxing, Vijender Singh has been climbing up the ranks, winning fight after fight. Currently, he holds the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship. However, his championship will be on the line on Saturday when he comes up against Chinese boxer Zulpikar Maimaitiali, the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight champion.
In effect, Saturday’s fight is going to be a double-title fight. It is going to be a mouth-watering contest in Mumbai; anyone could triumph. With the winner taking home both titles – the one he is defending and the one his opponent is – the stakes couldn’t be any higher.
LIVE COMMENTARY: Vijender Singh vs Zulpikar Maimaitiali Live Score and updates
In his short career in pro boxing, Vijender has shown just how brutal and devastating he can be, not caring for the opponent pitted against him. He is yet to lose a single bout in his pro career - another testimony to how rapidly he is striding forward.
Interestingly, even Zulpikar is unbeaten in his pro career. The champion boxer has a big left hand that Vijender has to be wary of during the fight. However, unlike Vijender, the southpaw has one draw against his name. But it will be a mistake to underestimate the Chinese boxer before the fight begins. His WBO title proves that although inexperienced, Zulpikar is a class act.
Also read: Ready to fight Amir Khan anywhere anytime, says Vijender Singh
Speaking before the mega bout, both boxers sounded confident and as is usual in the world of pro boxing, the war of words started well ahead.
Zulpikar has promised that he will take down Vijender inside the first three rounds. Vijender, on his part, branded Zulpikar a Chinese product that does not last long and plans to win the match easily.
"I am experienced... I don't consider him as an experienced boxer, he is young, but he is a strong kid and we are ready for it. I have a game plan which I discussed with my coach, he (the coach) said, stay calm, don't be in hurry," said Vijender. "He (Zulpikar) is young so he (can) make mistake, he is in a rush. In the first round, he would like to take over everything but that's the time you should be calm."
With high-profile celebs from Mumbai and other cities set to attend the event, Battleground Asia will be huge!
We hope that Vijender can live up to the expectations and to his big words and continue his dominance in pro boxing.
Also read: "Given the Indo-China situation, I feel the responsibility," says Vijender Singh ahead of bout against Zulpikar Maimaitiali
Live match information
Date – 5th August, 2017
Time – 6:30 PM IST
Venue – National Sports Club of India (NSCI), Mumbai
Broadcasting – SONY TEN 1 & SONY TEN 1 HD in English and SONY TEN 3 & SONY TEN 3 HD in Hindi
Live Streaming – Sony Liv app and website