Vijender Singh’s pro debut on October 10

Vijender Singh was supposed to make his debut this month but that had to be postponed due to a legal tussle with Haryana Police.

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Vijender, India’s first Olympics and World Championship medal winner, will make his long-awaited professional debut at the Manchester Arena, England. (Source: Express File)

Three months after he decided to turn professional, Vijender Singh will make his middleweight debut on October 10 at the Manchester Arena, his promoters announced on Thursday. However, his opponent has not been identified yet.

The 29-year-old, who ended his amateur career in July by signing up with the UK-based Queensberry Promotions, was supposed to make his debut this month but that had to be postponed owing to a legal tussle with his employers, Haryana Police.

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The development comes after Haryana Police allowed Vijender to compete in the pro circuit after few weeks of wrangling over whether he could take up assignment while being a government employee.

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In a statement, Queensberry Promotions, owned by boxing promoter Francis Warren, said that Vijender’s first fight will be a four-round middleweight affair.

“Vijender Singh’s first fight will be over four rounds in the middleweight division, against an opponent to be confirmed shortly. Singh will be competing in one of the hottest weight classes in world boxing with elite fighters Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders all campaigning at 160lbs and he aims to be in their position one day,” Queensberry Promotions said in a statement.

Vijender has been training in Manchester under Lee Beard, who trains current pro stars Jack Catterall and Adrian Gonzalez.

“Training now as a professional is totally different to my amateur regime and I’m loving the training with Lee Beard who has taught me so much in a short space of time,” Vijender said.

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“We are working great together and now I want to put into practice what I have learnt. I’m still learning all the time and there will be plenty to come from me. I believe that this is going to be a very exciting time.”

The Haryana boxer will begin his pro career on the double world title show headlined by Terry Flanagan’s WBO World Lightweight title defence against Diego Magdaleno.

Also fighting would be Liam Smith for the Vacant WBO World Super-Welterweight title against John Thompson.
Warren said he ‘can’t wait for Vijender to produce goods’ following a rigorous training stint. “I’ve seen how hard he is working with his trainer Lee in the gym and I can’t wait for him to produce the goods on the night to show what I and the team have believed all along, that he has the potential to be a world class boxer,” he added.