Vijender’s trainer Lee Beard confident the Indian will triumph in style against Australian Hope today; says Singh’s style of boxing makes him a better professional boxer than an amateur
Vijender Singh of India and Australiau00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Boxer Kerry Hope face off during the weigh-in ceremony in New Delhi yesterday
New Delhi: If there’s one man, who knows India boxer Vijender Singh’s technical abilities inside out, it’s his trainer Lee Beard. And if Beard is to be believed, the Indian should not have any problem knocking out Australian Kerry Hope for the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship belt at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex here. And given his credentials, Beard better be believed!
Vijender Singh of India and Australia’s Boxer Kerry Hope face off during the weigh-in ceremony in New Delhi yesterday. Pic/AFP
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The UK-based trainer has been associated with some of the biggest names in world boxing like Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Sr, among others, and has been in the business of professional boxing for decades. However, his rich experience notwithstanding, Beard has a valid explanation for his prediction. “Vijender may have achieved everything there is to achieve in amateur boxing, but the fact is that his style of boxing makes him a better professional boxer than an amateur. One of my early memories of Vijender is his 2010 Commonwealth Games bouts and then his 2012 London Olympics fights. On both occasions, though he was fighting at the amateur level, where punches to the face are important to earn points, Vijender’s angle of attack and body blows (body punches) were very similar to those used in professional boxing. He didn’t get too many points then (Vijender ended up with a bronze at the CWG and didn’t win any medal at London 2012) because it was amateur. But had that been pro boxing, he would have done really well. And that’s the reason, Vijender is doing well in pro boxing now.
Lee Beard
Strong defence
“Besides, I’ve always believed in the defence-first approach, and Vijender has a strong natural defence. He begins defensively, wears down the opponent and then attacks,” explained Beard on the sidelines of yesterday’s weigh-in.
Another important aspect of combat sport is to understand your opponent and Beard has Aussie Hope all figured out. “Look, he is more experienced than Vijender and has been doing 10-rounders for long. But Vijender’s training has always been keeping in mind 12-rounders, so he’s at peak fitness. I’ve seen Hope and I feel Vijender is faster and technically better. Hope is a bit off the pace,” said Beard.
‘An intelligent fighter’
Finally, it’s not the brawn, but the brain that will win Vijender the belt today, felt Beard. “Vijender is a very intelligent fighter, just like Floyd Mayweather Sr. He can make quick adjustments in a fight and switch tactics, like he’ll move away when he wants to or step in for a combination when he feels like. Floyd also was not someone, who would throw many punches. He was a sharpshooter, just like Vijender and very accurate. Many fighters tend to fight all their rounds in similar fashion, but Vijender is a thinker inside the ring. He’ll wait, watch and switch strategy suddenly. That’s the mark of a champion. It’s high time he wins a title belt and today’s the day,” Beard signed off.
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