New Delhi : Indian sensation Vijender Singh is gearing up for his much-awaited first title fight at home, where he takes on former European middleweight champion Kerry Hope for WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship title here at Thyagaraj Sports Complex here on July 16.
Undefeated in his six fights so far, Vijender is currently training hard in Manchester under globally acclaimed renowned trainer Lee Beard.
Reflecting on the same, Vijender said that his confidence level is extremely high at the moment and that he is eager to knockout Hope.
“With less than three weeks to go for my maiden title fight, I am really excited to compete in front of my home crowd. Competing in front of my own people will be a very big moment for me and I don’t want to lose this chance. I have started high intensity training two weeks ago to compete in the first ten rounder fight for Asia Pacific title and working hard to win this. I have seen videos of Kerry, he is a good opponent but I am training really hard to be ready for what my opponent has,” the Indian knockout king said.
While Hope is openly challenging Vijender before the title fight, the Indian hotshot seems to be calm about the whole situation.
“If Kerry comes forward and throws shots then anyone who has done that in the past has got knocked out so if he leaves himself open my natural strength will play a big part. Every fight I go into I believe I will win. Doubt is the enemy. I believe he’s not as strong as me and he’s not training like I’m training,” Vijender said.
Commenting on Kerry Hope’s recent statement where he mentioned that Vijender is still an `amateur`, not in his league, the 30-year-old said, “I have read his statement but don’t want to react on this. All I can say is that I am preparing for 16 July and my punches will reply to overconfident Kerry Hope. I am confident of winning this game and making my countrymen proud.
The boxing sensation said he wants to win this championship title not only for himself but also for his fans.
“The audience will be sitting there and rooting for me, I want to play for them, I love the feeling of your own people cheering for you, it gives you a different kind of a boost and motivates you to keep hitting those punches,” he added.
Although Kerry Hope is more experienced than Vijender with an impressive record of 23 wins from 30 fights but the Indian boxer said, “I don’t think fighting Kerry is a problem, sure he might be more experienced but it all depends on the punches and the strength you show in the ring at the time of the fight. The title is mine and I will make sure that everyone is proud of that moment.”
Vijender is unbeaten in six fights with six knockouts in only seventeen rounds of action since his pro debut last October. (ANI)