Boxing | Vikas Krishnan planning to turn professional

Middleweight boxer Krishnan had been forced to pull out of the semifinal clash at the Asian Games after suffering an injury to his left eye in the quarter final. Krishnan, who suffered a nasty cut just above his left eye during the quarter-final battle against Erbieke Tanglatihan of China, settled for bronze at the Asian Games. The gold-medalist from 2010 edition of the Games, suffered the blow after an accidental clash of heads in the first round of the bout. He won by a split decision against the Chinese but his eye was swelled up badly after the bout. Krishnan now has a dream of turning professional but he is still thinking deeply before taking any final decision.

“I have discussed with Santiago Nieva (India’s high performance director) about the prospect of joining professional boxing. He has advised me to think over it calmly during the time I recover from the eye injury. If it helps me become better boxer, then why not? I want to be a favourite for Olympic medal on the basis of merit and not a favourable draw,” Krishnan told Hindustan Times.

The 26-year-old Haryana boxer, who had earlier clinched gold in Guangzhou and bronze at the Incheon Asian Games, suffered a loss of vision after the quarterfinal bout but he still kept on fighting to qualify for the semis. However, he withdrew from the semifinal bout against Kazakhstan’s Abilkhan Amankul after the doctor warned him of permanent retina damage.

“The pain (from injury) made the fight an intense one. I could not see for some time. But I stuck on and fought like a warrior. I have been advised a four-week break from any high impact training. There is a swelling in the retina of the left eye,” the boxer stated.

Krishnan has an unfulfilled dream of winning an Olympic medal for India and he is upset about his diminishing chances. The pugilist, who won a gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast earlier this year, is also a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) till the 2020 Olympics.

“I lost in the quarter-finals of the 2016 Rio Olympics while in London (2012 Olympics) lost in the first round. That is one competition where I want to win. The government is spending several crore of rupees on our exposure trips and training. There’s no point taking that money and failing again and again,” he said.