The four walls of a boxing ring. Once you enter, you leave either a winner or a loser. There are no half measures. There are hardly any drawn matches. There is definitely no going back.
Two months back, Vijender Singh made a decision that shook the entire Indian boxing fraternity. India’s most successful boxer announced that he was going pro, a decision that meant he will no longer be allowed to compete for India, ever again.
Remember, no half measures in boxing.
Unlike football or tennis or hockey or badminton, there is no club and country in boxing. It’s either-or. Compete for India or go professional, and in the end it was the glitzy world of pro boxing that Vijender Singh chose.
News that came as a shock to few, but one that also seems like a perfect fit. Here’s why...
1. An Ageing Hero in a Growing Sport
The year was 2008, the venue was Beijing. A little known man competing in a little known sport forced the country to sit up and take notice. Fearless, with the chops to back his big-talk, Vijender Singh won India’s first-ever Olympic medal in boxing.
A star had arrived.
Seven years have passed. The little known man is now the pioneer of a sport he’s helped reach households across the country. However, it is no more just his name in the headlines. There are younger, faster and fitter stars fighting for his spot and on ageing legs, Vijender Singh had slowly started to relinquish the spotlight to the next-gen.
Hounded regularly by injures, a silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 is all the boxer has to show of his last few years in the ring as an Indian boxer.
2. A Star Meant for Stardom
Even as the appearances on the podium started drying up, Vijender’s assignments away from the boxing ring kept growing at a steady pace. A failed movie outing, frequent award function appearances and even a regular spot in a TV reality show- over the last few years Vijender Singh had become more a part of the entertainment channel menu than sports.
And what’s the boxing equivalent of the entertainment network?
Professional boxing of course. The glitz, the glamour, the hype and the marketing frenzy surrounding it is just what Vijender Singh seemed to want for his career, and why not.
3. A Reputation Salvaged
As things stand, Vijender Singh is part of history books along with the likes of Sushil Kumar and MC Mary Kom - pathbreakers in their sport, an inspiration for generations to come.
They were all the first to win Olympic medals in their disciplines, they all started revolutions in Indian sport, they all taught India to cheer for something other than cricket.
But while Sushil Kumar was still at the top of his game and MC Mary Kom continued to defy age, Vijender Singh and his other interests had come in the way of his career graph. He was no more in the league of these other champions, a fact that would have come to light at the Rio Games next year, if things were to continue for him, the way they had.
So in fact, in moving to professional boxing and giving up his India career and ending all chances of competing at the Rio Games, Vijender may well have managed to ensure that his fans remember him as the hero of Beijing — a pioneer who has now sacrificed his career to fly the Indian flag among the big boys of pro-boxing.
4. Securing the Riches
Think pro-boxing. Think Mayweather-Pacquiao, think Mike Tyson, think Muhammad Ali.
There are no tales written about amatuer boxers, there are no million-dollar fights playing for your country. It’s pro boxing where the riches lie. The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout is believed to have fetched the two boxers a collective $200 million. Now while Vijender will most definitely never fight in that league, it’s a fair benchmark for a fan to realise the riches he’s headed towards.
Definitely a bump-up from his paycheck back home as a DSP in Haryana Police, the infrequent and miserly grants from the sports ministry and the income from his Bollywood appearances.
Welcome to the big league, Vijender. The world awaits.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)