Francis Warren of Queensberry Promotions and Neerav Tomar of IOS Sport and Entertainment are delighted to announce that Vijender Singh, the superstar of Indian amateur boxing, has now turned professional.
Singh should be familiar to fans of Olympic boxing and USA boxing, as he defeated Terrell Gausha in the 2012 London Olympics.
Singh, the 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist, has signed a four-year promotional agreement with Queensberry Promotions and IOS Sport and Entertainment that will see the talented middleweight fight a minimum of six times in the first year as he looks to herald in a new era for Asian boxing.
He will make his highly anticipated professional debut this Autumn with the Channel of Champions BoxNation to televise his fights live and exclusive in the UK. An Indian TV broadcaster will be announced shortly where his fights will be televised live to his millions of loyal fans.
Arguably one of India’s most successful amateur boxers ever, a sensational career has seen him win Silver at the 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games; Bronze at the 2006 Asian Games, 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 World Amateur Championships and 2010 Commonwealth Games; Gold at the 2010 Asian Games, and rated as the world’s number one middleweight in 2009.
His Bronze medal victory in Beijing was a landmark event in India’s rich sporting history as it was the nation’s first ever boxing medal in the Games and he is credited for the incredible surge in boxing’s popularity in his home country since.
With India staging its first professional boxing event in May and the country’s incredible success in the amateur code, Singh aims to recreate the same success in the pro ranks and showcase India as the new powerhouse in World boxing.
The 29-year-old from Bhiwani, a state in Haryana, India, will now base himself in Manchester, England, under renown trainer Lee Beard, who has previously worked with British boxing legend Ricky Hatton.
Singh will train alongside a top stable of boxers with Beard currently guiding the WBO International and European Light-Welterweight Champion Jack Catterall, Former Commonwealth Light-Middleweight Champion Jamie Cox, and top up-and-coming prospects Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Costello and Raza Hamza.
A thrilled Singh said, “I’m excited to turn pro and looking forward to the new chapter of my life. I want to train hard and perform for my country at the global level. IOS will be managing my pro boxing career along with Queensbury Promotions with broadcaster BoxNation. My immediate goal will be to work hard and make a good boxing record in the next year or so.”
Warren, son of the International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter, commented, “I’m very excited to have brought such a talented and determined individual over to the UK and can’t wait to see what Vijender is capable of doing in the professional ranks after achieving so much as an amateur,”
“After spending the past week with him in Manchester, there is no doubt in my mind that he has what it takes to be a very successful professional boxer, not only because of his undoubted natural talent, but also due to his drive and focus. He has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and I am over the moon that he will be doing that with Queensberry Promotions and BoxNation.”
Tomar, MD & CEO of IOS Sports & Entertainment, added, “It’s an historic moment for Indian boxing with Vijender turning Pro. He’s a top fighter and is extremely motivated to train hard and perform. I have known Francis for over five years and we have been in discussions for a long time to bring the sport of Pro boxing to India and finally we will be introducing it soon in a big way with Vijender.”
He added “Indian boxers have huge potential to be world beaters and Vijender will be the flag bearer for a nation of over billion people.
Further details will be announced in due course confirming a date for Singh’s professional debut.
