Vijender quietly confident ahead of pro boxing debut
India’s Vijender Singh is sweating it out for as many as 8 to10 hours a day at the gym preparing for his professional debut in England on October 10
“It’s like going to an office, except that it happens to be a gym in my case,” Vijender told the Press Trust of India from Manchester where India's first Olympic and World Championship medallist is training under Lee Beard.
 “The day in the gym starts at 10-10:30 am, there is a lunch break around 1 pm and then back to the gym for an evening session,” the 29-year-old said, explaining that a typical training day comprises workout sessions, sparring sessions with different partners and rigorous swimming.
“By the time I am done, I just crash. It is grueling but I am enjoying the grind. My body hasn’t felt better.”
Vijender said he is currently also working on certain technical adjustments. “I am a straight-punching counter-attacker and I have clean, straight punches. But right now I am working on body blows. In professional boxing, body punches are very important. That's what I have been focusing on. I am targetting the body more often now," he explained.
Vijender's professional move was mired in controversy after his Indian employers had originally refused to grant him permission to relocate.
His promoters Queensberry and IOS are yet to reveal his opponent for the bout. “How does it matter? In amateur boxing I used to know my opponent either a day before the bout or on the morning of the bout. Here, I hope to know who it is at least a week before the bout. That's enough time because ultimately it's not about the opponent: it's about me, how I cope with the challenge. I prefer to focus on myself,” he said.
“Honestly, I don't worry about anything. My job, when I enter the ring, is to either thrash the other guy or be prepared to be thrashed so I should be focused on myself,” he added.
Vijender's training staff currently is all-British, but the Haryana boxer said he would look at hiring an Indian once he has a title to show for. “I am comfortable with the British training staff. They have been excellent. Once I win a title, I will bring an Indian too. But that's some time away, let me become a big shot first. For the time being, I am content with what I have,” he said.