Ready to defend my title: Vijender

Mumbai, August 5
Indian boxing star Vijender Singh will look to clinch his second title and keep his unbeaten record intact when he takes on China’s Zulpikar Maimaitiali here tomorrow. The 31-year-old former Olympics bronze-medallist will be fighting his ninth professional fight tomorrow and his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title would be on the line.
Singh has been training in Manchester with his trainer Lee Beard for this bout, the first ticket of which was presented to cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar at the latter’s house by the boxer himself. A confident Vijender has dubbed his Chinese opponent as inexperienced. “This is India versus China, I don’t need anything and I am excited. I know the whole of India is with me,” Vijender said at the weigh-in today.
The Indian said his strategy would depend on how his opponent approaches the bout. “ I don’t consider him an experienced boxer. He is young and strong but we are ready for him,” Singh said. There will be seven other bouts tomorrow, including the debut professional fights of former Olympians Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar.