'I got bored of doing the same thing for too long': Vijender on his motivation to switch from Amateur to Pro boxing

Vijender Singh is one of India's most-decorated boxers. From winning an Olympic bronze (in 2008) to bagging a bronze in World Championships and a gold in Asian Games, the Indian boxer, by his own admission, has done it all. Which was why he decided to shift from Amateur to Pro boxing. 

In a conversation with senior sports journalist Sharda Ugra on Day 1 of Hindustan Times' virtual HT NxT, 35-year-old Singh explained his decision behind turning professional. Despite not knowing a lot about this form of boxing, Vijender braved a trip to the UK and it turned out to be a life-changing one for him.

HIGHLIGHTS OF HT NXT DAY 1

"What's the harm? (in making the shift) After the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao fight, a promoter from the UK, Frank Warren, approached me somehow and asked me if I wanted to pursue professional boxing. I knew Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali but didn't know much about it. But we still decided to give it a shot anyway.

“I flew out to the UK for a 15-20-day trip. I saw everything there and decided to give it a shot. I said yes because it was something new for me and I wanted to do something different. I get bored of doing the same thing for too long. ”

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Singh used to box at the Police Academy. Initially, he was unable to go due to some controversies but after making it through, he has been making it count. So far, he holds a 12-1 win-loss record in the circuit?

When asked what motivated him, he said: “I played thee Olympic games and I won medals. I got (medals in) Asian Games and everything.  Hence, the drive to do something new motivated me.”