Vijender Singh could be India's first pro world champion: British boxer Amir Khan

November 4, 2015

New Delhi, Nov 4: Impressed with the professional debut of Vijender Singh, top British boxer Amir Khan feels that the former Olympic medallist could be the first world champion from India.

vijendraVijender took his first steps in the gritty world of professional boxing last month when he knocked out Sonny Whiting of England in his debut at the Manchester Arena.

It was clinical exhibition from the Haryana pugilist who took his time to get the measure of his opponent in the first round before unleashing a barrage of lethal power-packed punches to wrap up the issue within three rounds.

"Vijender did well in his debut. The fight was good. He is learning quickly. He is slowing himself down and boxing smartly. I think he he could be the first world champion from India," Khan told IANS here on Tuesday.

"It is hard to go from an amateur boxer to a professional boxer. There is a lot of difference between amateur boxing and the professional level. The training, fighting style, scoring system, everything is different. But Vijender seems to be handling the changes well. If he continues to learn and improve, I definitely feel that he has a great future ahead of him," he added. "Obviously, Vijender is a very good boxer. He is very smart and clever."

"We need more people like Vijender and Mary Kom in India. People like them are an inspiration for the youth which helps to promote boxing in India."

Khan, one of the top boxers in the welterweight category, currently holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Welterweight title. He is also a former two-time world champion in the lightweight category, having won the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles.

The 28-year-old praised the achievements of Indian boxers over the last decade and feels that the country has the potential to produce legends like his idol Mohammad Ali.

"I believe India can produce a Muhammad Ali. You have a huge population of more than a billion. With so many people, you are bound to have a lot of talent. India has the potential to produce a champion like Ali," he said.

Born to Pakistani immigrants of modest means in the English town of Bolton, Khan took to boxing at the tender age of eight. He took the world of amateur boxing by storm when he took silver in the lightweight category at the 2004 Athens Olympics at 17 -- the youngest-ever British pugilist to clinch an Olympic medal.

Khan turned pro at 19 and became one of the youngest ever British world champions, winning the WBA light welterweight title at the age of 22.

Having risen from humble roots, he now wants to give young boxers around the world a chance to achieve their dreams. He plans to launch a series of academies in India, the first of which will be set up in the Delhi-NCR region in 2016.

Khan, who also launched five academies in Karachi earlier this year, wants to start a professional boxing league in the country, involving participants from India and Pakistan.

"Indian boxers are doing really well. Your boxers are amazing. We want to promote boxing here. I want to open boxing academies in India. I am looking at opening at least five or six academies within the next 12 months," Khan said.

"There is a lot of difference between amateur boxing and the professional level. The training, fighting style, scoring system, everything is different. Professional boxing is very hard. That is why it is very hard to succeed. But Indian boxers can do well if they have the right training. That is why I am here to help.

"Vijender went to England because there is no future for him here in professional boxing. So what I want to do is to start a professional league here. We can then produce more professional world champions. People like Vijender then will not have to go to England. They can stay here and fight in front of their home fans in their own country," he added.

"If our boxers get the right training, they can definitely become world champions."

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News Network
July 21,2020

Melbourne, Jul 21: Cricket Australia's chief executive Nick Hockley has said that the Indian players and staff will most likely be asked to face two weeks of quarantine before the four-match Test series.

This scenario will bring the Adelaide Oval and its newly constructed hotel firmly into view as the sort of biosecure bubble, ESPNCricinfo reported.

India and Australia are slated to face each other in a four-match Test series, which is to begin from December 4 at Brisbane.

"The two-week quarantine is pretty well-defined. What we are working on is making sure that even within that quarantine environment, the players have got the absolute best training facilities, so that their preparation for the matches is as optimal as it can possibly be," ESPNCricinfo quoted Hockey as saying.

"Certainly the fact that the Adelaide Oval has a hotel. It does provide a facility not dissimilar to Old Trafford or Ageas Bowl where the hotels are integrated into the venue," he added.

Hockley also said that an exacting standard of biosecurity and testing would be applied before the series against India as the coronavirus cases are spiking in the subcontinent.

"It's widely known and it's unlikely that international travel restrictions would have lifted by the time that India will be due to come into the country. Clearly there will be testing regimes. We will be able to test people before that they get on to the plane and it is the nature of the situation of making sure we have the quarantine arrangements in line with government and health authority protocols," Hockley said.

"The key thing for the players is that there's regular testing and that we appropriately quarantine them when they come in and all of those plans are currently in development," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the postponement of the T20 World Cup 2020 slated to be held in Australia from October 18-November 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the announcement, the BCCI is likely to go ahead with the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the October-November window. However, it is known where the T20 tournament will be played as cases continue to rise in India.
"I think the BCCI has made no secrets that they are considering what that means for the IPL. For us, it's about getting a bit of an understanding and certainty around what that means. Clearly, in a normal course, some of our best players are obviously top picks for those IPL teams," Hockley said.

"It's a bit premature to speculate on that. We need to understand what the plans are if any and once we understand that we will make decisions accordingly," he added.

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News Network
January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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Agencies
March 25,2020

Lausanne, Mar 25: The World Archery has hailed as a 'brave decision' the International Olympic Committee (IOC) move to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until next year due to coronavirus pandemic.

"We commend the conscientious and brave decision taken by Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee to delay this summer's Games in the face of an unprecedented challenge to humanity," Ugur Erdener, the World Archery president, said in an official statement.

The decision to postpone the Summer Olympics was confirmed by the IOC, on Tuesday, after the organising body for the event and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to reschedule the quadrennial event in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is not an easy situation, especially for the athletes who had been training hard for Tokyo 2020. I hope that everyone understands why this decision has been made and I urge archers around the world to retain hope and reset for this new timetable," he added.

The IOC has, however, said that the original name of Tokyo 2020 will remain intact irrespective of the fact that it will take place next year.

The Tokyo Olympic Games were slated to be held from July 24 to August 9.

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