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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Will Vijender Singh fight in the Olympics?
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Will Vijender Singh fight in the Olympics?

Unlikely says the recently turned pro, even as boxing's world body makes landmark decision to allow pros to compete in Rio

Vijender Singh. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/MintPremium
Vijender Singh. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

Professional boxers have just been given the green signal to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The International Boxing Association (Aiba) met at an extraordinary congress in Lausanne, Switzerland convened expressly to vote on this issue, which has been in the pipeline for some time now. The proposal to allow pro boxers to compete at the Olympics was passed with 84 votes, with 4 abstainees and none voting against.

How will the qualification process work? The Aiba is organising a qualifying event exclusively for Pros in Venezuela in July, with 26 places up for grabs.

The boxing body hopes that this move will bring the best boxers from around the world to the Olympics—for example, Great Britain’s Anthony Joshua, who won the heavyweight gold in 2012 and turned pro soon after—but this may not be as easy in practice. The biggest bouts in pro boxing fetch millions of dollars for boxers, while the Olympics offer no monetary rewards. The decision has also come a little too late perhaps; most pro boxers would have their schedules for the year tied up already.

Vijender Singh is case in point. The boxer, who won a bronze at the 2008 Games, India’s first in boxing, turned pro last May, and has been meticulously working his way up the ladder. He has been impressive in the ring, producing five knockouts in the five pro bouts he has fought so far. The dominating performances have earned him a shot at an Asian World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title, an event that will be held in New Delhi in July, and is being promoted aggressively by one of England’s biggest boxing management groups.

For Singh to make it to the Olympics, he will have to first fight in the qualifier in Venezuela, which is likely to clash with his Delhi title fight.

“I have to talk to my coaches," Singh, who is currently on a break in New Delhi, says. “I just got to know about this, and of course, going to another Olympics is a dream, but this is very complicated."

For one, India still does not have a boxing federation after it was banned four years ago for rigging elections. This means that there is no decision-making body in the country to figure out logistics or who should go to the Olympics. The result of this protracted failure to elect a ruling body for amateur boxing can be seen clearly in the fact that just a single male boxer, Shiva Thapa, has qualified for Rio thus far, with just two more qualifying events to come. None of the women boxers, including 2012 medalist Mary Kom, have qualified.

“Without a federation, how will anything happen?" Singh asks. “Who will take this decision whether I should go or not? Who will arrange for my training and my tickets? I have had no time to think or consult anyone since the news came out, so I need some time to figure out what is happening."

The most likely outcome of this decision by the Aiba will be that pro boxers still trying to make their presence felt in the circuit will grab their chances at going to the Olympics: a medal there is bound to increase their stock in the pro ranks.

After all, Muhammad Ali too is an Olympic gold medalist.

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Published: 01 Jun 2016, 04:40 PM IST
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