Subcontinental Success Story: How Vijender Singh Can Help Boxing in India
November is a busy month in boxing. Undercard results can get lost in the midst of so many big fights, so don’t feel bad if you didn't notice Vijender Singh moving his career record to 2-0.
The 30-year-old recorded a second successive win inside the distance at the National Stadium in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, knocking out Englishman Dean Gillen inside a round.
Singh is next scheduled to fight on December 19, when he will appear on the undercard to the middleweight world title fight between Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders in Manchester, England.
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He may not be topping the bill just yet—he may never even climb that far up the boxing ladder—but Singh is still a big deal.
In fact, no matter what he achieves in the paid ranks, the middleweight is already a hero in his home nation of India.
In 2008, Singh made history by becoming the first Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, picking up a bronze in Beijing, China.
He twice claimed silver medals when competing in the Commonwealth Games, including losing in the final against England’s Anthony Fowler at Glasgow in 2014.
It would have been easy for Singh to build a career on competing in the amateurs—another Olympics beckoned in Brazil in 2016, giving him the opportunity to make it onto the podium again.
Instead, though, he took a gamble and made the decision to turn pro. He signed a promotional deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions and teamed up with trainer Lee Beard.
Singh's decision did not receive universal approval, as he explained to Dev Trehan of Sky Sports:
"Some people were critical, some said bad things, some said good things but I know there is a lot of responsibility because if I do well then people will follow in my path.
If more boxers from back home come and join the pro ranks it will help stimulate the development of professional boxing in India.
It could have a huge impact and could really boost the popularity of the sport back home, but it takes time to create that environment and that culture.
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Boxing in India is an untapped market. That could all change thanks to Singh.
He is already a recognised figure in his homeland. The Indian media follows his progress in Europe extremely closely, spreading word of his achievements to the masses.
Singh—who recorded a win over reigning super middleweight world champion Badou Jack when they met at the 2008 Olympic Games—could be a trailblazer.
There are examples in another sport of how Indians can become engulfed by the successes of their own.
Cricket in the country changed the moment their team won the 1983 World Cup, when the underdog defeated the mighty West Indies at Lord’s in a low-scoring final.
The triumphant squad immediately became national heroes, and the public’s interest led to companies realising the value of tying themselves to the game.
As Rajdeep Sardesi wrote for ESPN Cricinfo, "The 1983 win changed the commercial worth of the Indian cricketer forever. Until then, cricketers rarely did advertisements."
The format was originally thought up as a way of helping to promote the English county game but was carried onto the international stage with the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
India were unlikely winners of the tournament, beating rivals Pakistan in the final.
The Board of Control For Cricket in India seized on their side’s success by launching the Indian Premier League the following year. Even they surely cannot believe the way their domestic T20 competition has grown to become a global brand advertisers cannot get enough of.
Could boxing be set to explode in a similar fashion? Perhaps not quite to the same levels—it should be remembered that cricket is one of the most popular sports in India.
However, that doesn’t mean the noble art cannot find a space on the country’s sporting landscape.
Singh is not the only man who could help make that happen.
Promoter Jaisingh Shekhawat recently staged the first professional boxing event in India.
Patrick Cusick, the head of the World Boxing Council in Asia, was in attendance, telling Jason Overdorf of GQ India: "We’ve been watching the development of boxing in Asia for the last 15 years. Ten years ago, we went to China, and now they have their first world champion. We believe India can progress as quickly, if not faster."
The event was not without some issues, as documented in Overdoorf’s excellent feature.
Cusick was apparently "still fielding basic questions" from the judges and referees about the differences between the amateur and professional game not long before the bouts were scheduled to begin.
However, from such small acorns can grow mighty oak trees.
The efforts of Singh and Shekhawat could be the start of something big. If India does get a taste for professional boxing, Cusick’s prediction appears to be spot on.
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