India's star boxer Vijender Singh gets into his first title defence against Francis Cheka on December 17. For those who don't have a clue, Cheka, 34, from Tanzania, is the current Intercontinental Super Middleweight Champions and a former WBF Super Middleweight champion. The talking about the importance of this match stops here.
Vijender's WBO Super Middleweight Asia Pacific title is on the line here.
"Cheka is a highly experienced boxer, he has many bouts under his belt, but none of this demotivates me. I am training harder to match up to his level and hoping for another win," the Indian boxer said.
"I am confident of my win; I feel my stance is becoming better with every training session that I am undergoing. My trainer also feels that my punches are stronger than before and he has also put me under high-intensity training. I am sure of protecting my title with as much pride as I won it. I am going to leave no stone unturned to make sure my title stays with me," Vijender added.
The war of words has already started.
"I am ready to give this kid a lesson of boxing," said Cheka. I will come to India. I have heard a lot about this Indian boxer and there's a lot of hype around him, I just can't wait to be the one to put him in his place.
"I know he trains in Manchester, UK, but it will be a great fun to beat Indian lad in his own country and take away his title. If you see my record, I have a total of 17 knockouts, I have played way more rounds than he has, I am sure I will be able to knock him out in the first round itself," the 34-year-old added.
Tale of the tape
| Vijender Singh | Francis Cheka | |
| Country | India | Tanzania |
| Age | 31 | 34 |
| Record | 7-0-0 | 32-9-2 |
| Height | 1.83m | 1.79m |
| Total rounds | 27 | 300 |
| Weight | 75kg | 75kg |
