Indian pugilist and Beijing Olympics bronze medal winner Vijender Singh will return to the ring after a year-long hiatus. The 36-year-old squares off against West Africa Boxing Union Champion Eliasu Sulley. Scheduled for the 17th of August at Raipur’s Balbir Singh Juneja Stadium, it marks the first professional bout in Chattisgarh. The Ghanian Eliasu- an otherwise formidable opponent- has won all 8 of his fights via knockouts but has been out of action since December 2020.

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Vijender, who suffered defeat in his last bout– his only professional loss in 13 fights- against Russian Artysh Lopsan, sounds confident ahead of the clash:

“I know what I am capable of and am confident to break his unbeaten professional streak with a knockout itself. With the right kind of support and training, it is only going to be a matter of time before the hard work pays off,” remarked the Hariyanvi.

Perhaps still smarting from his only loss, the boxer wishes to set the record straight in front of a partisan crowd. “I’m really looking forward to this fight, I have been training extensively for this and it will be the perfect opportunity and place to get back into my winning ways. There was a tiny blip in the last fight but I am gearing up with my team to defeat Eliasu Sulley, and I cannot wait to get in the ring,” he added.

As anticipation builds around the fight, the Chattisgarh government is on a publicity overdrive. Congress party veteran and Chief Minister Bhupendra Baghel wishes to turn the state into a sporting destination, hoping the prize fight will set the path for future high-profile events:

“Turning Chattisgarh into a sporting state is something we have been looking to do for a while now and it’s finally coming to fruition in the last few years. Vijender Singh’s professional fight will only further cement this plan that we have to not only encourage the people within the state but also athletes across India to treat Chattisgarh as a superpower of sport,” declares CM Baghel.

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Hoping to pack a fistful, Vijender has been training for the past 19 months at his Manchester base. He will touch down in Raipur on the 8th, leaving him more than a week to acclimatise. VIACOM 18 will telecast the fight on Sports 18 Khel and VOOT.