Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Vijender Singh created history when he became the first Indian pugilist to win a medal in boxing at the Olympics. The bronze medal at Beijing Olympics did change the way boxing was looked at in India. Since then, the sport has earned huge rewards for the country. However, the loss at Beijing, that forced Vijender to settle for bronze, was compensated at the Guangzhou Asian Games when he, with his broken thumb, knocked out world champion Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan 7-0, to clinch an unprecedented second boxing gold for India. But the modest Vijender does not want to take all the credit for the victory as he believes it was ‘luck’ that helped him win the match. In an exclusive interview with Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi on her programme Kahiye Janab, the star Indian boxer revealed more about his victory. Take a look: Swati: From winning the bronze medal in Beijing, to the gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games, how does it feel? Vijender Singh: It feels good. It was a dream come true. I finally have won a gold medal for my country. Swati: You have been accused of being more involved in extra-curricular activities. How do you react to it? Vijender: All I would say is that I have been winning medals in every tournament that I have participated in after the Beijing Olympics; be it Gold, Silver or Bronze. So my performance has not come down, no matter what I do off the ring. Swati: You have an amazing fan following in India. Did that in any way bother you during the Commonwealth Games? Was that a distraction? Vijender: To an extent, yes. There was no privacy at all. Wherever I went, I was always surrounded by people and well-wishers. I do appreciate their love and support for me, but I could not relax at all. However, in Guangzhou, I benefited in a manner. Not many people knew me there. So, I could eat, rest, relax and enjoy. There was some privacy at least. In Video * Rendezvous with Vijender Singh Rendezvous with Vijender Singh Swati: During the Asian Games in China, you did not let your opponent know that you had injured your thumb. Vijender: Yes, of course. I would not go and tell him, “Hey look, I have injured my thumb, so please do not hit me hard.” But I did inform my coach as soon as the bout was over. He in turn asked me, “What do we do now?” I said that we had to continue no matter what. So we decided to keep going, and finally, I did beat him (the finalist) by a huge margin of 7-0. However, I believe that had I not been injured, I wouldn’t have had that determination in me to fight on. I would have probably been more complacent and might have also ended up losing the match. So, I believe that whatever happens, happens for good. Swati: What makes you so strong mentally? Vijender: When I decided to enter boxing, I was told that this is one sport where you would be hit anyways, no matter whether you win or lose. So we grew up with this in mind and that is what keeps us going. Swati: Which has been your memorable fight? Vijender: Beijing Olympics has been the turning point of my career, so indeed the bronze medal won at the Olympics has been the most special for me. Swati: What else excites you apart from boxing? Vijender: I am currently hosting a show, ‘Contender’, which will help boxing gain prominence in the country. The show revolves around the lives of the boxers, their schedule, their struggles, and their family backgrounds etc. The winner of the show will be get handsome prize money as well. Swati: People are now coming into sports for a better lifestyle. What is your take on this? Vijender: I am happy that people are now looking at sports as a medium towards a better lifestyle. Good luck to them. And indeed, it is the best way to have a good lifestyle. Our country today recognizes the value of good sportspersons and is doing a lot to cultivate the sporting culture. Every medal winner is honoured and rewarded with handsome prize money. Swati: What are your plans after boxing? Politics or Bollywood? Vijender: I haven’t planned anything as of now. Life after boxing is still very uncertain. I have no time for politics or Bollywood at the moment. People would rather see me inside a boxing ring than in a movie. Swati: What is your next aim? Vijender: My first aim is to get over this injury. Then we have the Fight Nights coming; we first have the tournament against Pakistan and then against Australia. Thereafter, we have the World Championships coming, which is also the qualifying event for the 2012 Olympics. Swati: You have been doing a lot of advertisements and endorsements. How do you manage your schedule between boxing and shooting? Vijender: It is very difficult to manage both. I undergo training in the morning, then go for shooting, and then train again in the evening. If I have to travel outside the city, my coach accompanies me everywhere so that I can train with him at least. Swati: What is more difficult - boxing or acting? Vijender: Both are difficult. And balancing both the things at the same time is even more difficult. Swati: What do you have to say about the legal case in which you are embroiled? Vijender: I do not worry much about it. Such things keep on happening with people in big countries like India. So don’t worry, just chill! It usually happens when people see that you have earned a lot of success and they do things to pull you down. So it is nothing to worry about. Swati: You are aware of the mess surrounding the recent Commonwealth Games. The politicians let us down, and it was only the athletes who saved the day. What is your take on this? Vijender: I believe that politics and sports should not be mixed. The guilty in the Commonwealth Games fiasco must be punished severely. Nothing is bigger than your country and we athletes work hard day and night to represent our country in front of millions of people. So, the people who bring disgrace to our country must be punished hard. Swati: But don’t you think you had a role to play in preventing this mess? Vijender: My only role was to play well at the CWG and win medals for my country. And that is exactly what I did. I will not go out on the road and shout, ‘Hey, he is a cheater and he’s a traitor’. I did my job well. Swati: Last time you said that cricket is a very lazy game. Do you still believe so? Vijender: Yes, I still believe the same. A (Test) match goes on for five days, and at the end of the final day, when you expect a result, you find out that the match has drawn. What kind of a sport is that? Swati: Who is your role model? Vijender: Internationally, I admire Roger Federer and David Beckham. In India, I admire Leander Paes and Dhanraj Pillai. Swati: A final question on behalf of all your female followers? Do you have a girlfriend? Vijender: Let that remain a question. Adapted by: Sudeshna Guha Roy Vijender Singh created history when he became the first Indian pugilist to win a medal in boxing at the Olympics. The bronze medal at Beijing Olympics did change the way boxing was looked at in India. Since then, the sport has earned huge rewards for the country. However, the loss at Beijing, that forced Vijender to settle for bronze, was compensated at the Guangzhou Asian Games when he, with his broken thumb, knocked out world champion Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan 7-0, to clinch an unprecedented second boxing gold for India. But the modest Vijender does not want to take all the credit for the victory as he believes it was ‘luck’ that helped him win the match. In an exclusive interview with Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi on her programme Kahiye Janab, the star Indian boxer revealed more about his victory. Take a look: Swati: From winning the bronze medal in Beijing, to the gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games, how does it feel? Vijender Singh: It feels good. It was a dream come true. I finally have won a gold medal for my country. Swati: You have been accused of being more involved in extra-curricular activities. How do you react to it? Vijender: All I would say is that I have been winning medals in every tournament that I have participated in after the Beijing Olympics; be it Gold, Silver or Bronze. So my performance has not come down, no matter what I do off the ring. Swati: You have an amazing fan following in India. Did that in any way bother you during the Commonwealth Games? Was that a distraction? Vijender: To an extent, yes. There was no privacy at all. Wherever I went, I was always surrounded by people and well-wishers. I do appreciate their love and support for me, but I could not relax at all. However, in Guangzhou, I benefited in a manner. Not many people knew me there. So, I could eat, rest, relax and enjoy. There was some privacy at least. Swati: During the Asian Games in China, you did not let your opponent know that you had injured your thumb. Vijender: Yes, of course. I would not go and tell him, “Hey look, I have injured my thumb, so please do not hit me hard.” But I did inform my coach as soon as the bout was over. He in turn asked me, “What do we do now?” I said that we had to continue no matter what. So we decided to keep going, and finally, I did beat him (the finalist) by a huge margin of 7-0. However, I believe that had I not been injured, I wouldn’t have had that determination in me to fight on. I would have probably been more complacent and might have also ended up losing the match. So, I believe that whatever happens, happens for good. Swati: What makes you so strong mentally? Vijender: When I decided to enter boxing, I was told that this is one sport where you would be hit anyways, no matter whether you win or lose. So we grew up with this in mind and that is what keeps us going. Swati: Which has been your memorable fight? Vijender: Beijing Olympics has been the turning point of my career, so indeed the bronze medal won at the Olympics has been the most special for me. Swati: What else excites you apart from boxing? Vijender: I am currently hosting a show, ‘Contender’, which will help boxing gain prominence in the country. The show revolves around the lives of the boxers, their schedule, their struggles, and their family backgrounds etc. The winner of the show will be get handsome prize money as well. Swati: People are now coming into sports for a better lifestyle. What is your take on this? Vijender: I am happy that people are now looking at sports as a medium towards a better lifestyle. Good luck to them. And indeed, it is the best way to have a good lifestyle. Our country today recognizes the value of good sportspersons and is doing a lot to cultivate the sporting culture. Every medal winner is honoured and rewarded with handsome prize money. Swati: What are your plans after boxing? Politics or Bollywood? Vijender: I haven’t planned anything as of now. Life after boxing is still very uncertain. I have no time for politics or Bollywood at the moment. People would rather see me inside a boxing ring than in a movie. Swati: What is your next aim? Vijender: My first aim is to get over this injury. Then we have the Fight Nights coming; we first have the tournament against Pakistan and then against Australia. Thereafter, we have the World Championships coming, which is also the qualifying event for the 2012 Olympics. Swati: You have been doing a lot of advertisements and endorsements. How do you manage your schedule between boxing and shooting? Vijender: It is very difficult to manage both. I undergo training in the morning, then go for shooting, and then train again in the evening. If I have to travel outside the city, my coach accompanies me everywhere so that I can train with him at least. Swati: What is more difficult - boxing or acting? Vijender: Both are difficult. And balancing both the things at the same time is even more difficult. Swati: What do you have to say about the legal case in which you are embroiled? Vijender: I do not worry much about it. Such things keep on happening with people in big countries like India. So don’t worry, just chill! It usually happens when people see that you have earned a lot of success and they do things to pull you down. So it is nothing to worry about. Swati: You are aware of the mess surrounding the recent Commonwealth Games. The politicians let us down, and it was only the athletes who saved the day. What is your take on this? Vijender: I believe that politics and sports should not be mixed. The guilty in the Commonwealth Games fiasco must be punished severely. Nothing is bigger than your country and we athletes work hard day and night to represent our country in front of millions of people. So, the people who bring disgrace to our country must be punished hard. Swati: But don’t you think you had a role to play in preventing this mess? Vijender: My only role was to play well at the CWG and win medals for my country. And that is exactly what I did. I will not go out on the road and shout, ‘Hey, he is a cheater and he’s a traitor’. I did my job well. Swati: Last time you said that cricket is a very lazy game. Do you still believe so? Vijender: Yes, I still believe the same. A (Test) match goes on for five days, and at the end of the final day, when you expect a result, you find out that the match has drawn. What kind of a sport is that? Swati: Who is your role model? Vijender: Internationally, I admire Roger Federer and David Beckham. In India, I admire Leander Paes and Dhanraj Pillai. Swati: A final question on behalf of all your female followers? Do you have a girlfriend? Vijender: Let that remain a question. http://www.zeenews.com/news672453.html
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 Swati: Last time you said that cricket is a very lazy game. Do you still believe so? Vijender: Yes, I still believe the same. A (Test) match goes on for five days, and at the end of the final day, when you expect a result, you find out that the match has drawn. What kind of a sport is that? Swati: Who is your role model? Vijender: Internationally, I admire Roger Federer and David Beckham. In India, I admire Leander Paes and Dhanraj Pillai.
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 Any reasons why this guy is being a sore loser?
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 Swati: People worship cricket in India despite the fact that boxing demands heavy physical activity and is a bloody/ violent game? Vijender: Cricket is a lazy game. A lot of countries don’t give much importance to cricket, but love watching soccer or hockey as they are power packed sports. Boxing requires tremendous will power. Swati: Coming from a small place, MS Dhoni has scaled heights never ever thought of. Do you think anyone from boxing can reach such heights? Vijender: Cricket’s popularity is pretty much old but boxing is just in infancy in terms of popularity. The cricketers have only one World Cup to boast of but we have the Olympics medal. More than anything else I have full faith in my sport.
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 He does have a point. that cricket is a lazy game?
jusarrived Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Any reasons why this guy is being a sore loser? eh ? so anyone who dosnet like cricket is a sore loser ?
Late Cut Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Arguments like this are made by people who haven't competed in cricket. Having competed both in Muay Thai and in Cricket, I can tell you that both sports are very demanding for vastly different reasons. In some ways cricket can be more demanding because you need to be present/aware for a much longer period of time. I have no idea by what he means by a "lazy game." The comparitive between the two sports make no sense at all! What does the end result have to do with cricket being a lazy game?
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 The comparitive between the two sports make no sense at all! What does the end result have to do with cricket being a lazy game? Jealousy which is rampant among Indian Sportpersons ( Non-cricketers) against cricketers , they envy the Demi-God status the cricketers enjoy and hate the fact that they will never have the same following & fame which cricketers enjoy in India
Watson87 Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 watson u lost all your money again? :ohmy: yo what happened to all your money? :((:(( I won then i put all my money in the England game, 80 mil on India and 20 mil on Srilanka
Late Cut Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Jealousy which is rampant among Indian Sportpersons ( Non-cricketers) against cricketers ' date=' they envy the Demi-God status the cricketers enjoy and hate the fact that they will never have the following & fame which cricketers enjoy in India[/quote'] Dunno, one would think that there would be a lot of respect for other athletes just because of how hard it is to be at the pinnacle of a sport...for example, I had taken a break from Muay Thai for about 2 years (primarily career related) and went back about 4 months ago- it took a lot of effort to even be close to where i was 2 years ago; that's how much dedication it takes to be even ok at any sport ( or any other endevor), let alone play at a higher level. It makes you respect even the Yuvrajs of the world. :--D
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 eh ? so anyone who dosnet like cricket is a sore loser ? Look there are many sports in the world that I dont like/ enjoy watching , for example Rugby , have never been interested in it , so do you think I can call off " Rugby" as lazy or stupid sport by pinpointing some of its fundamentals? I would call it boring and something that I dont like but never Lazy just because I dont like it unless offcourse I have some hatred for the sport and its players just as whats the case in here . This Guy's hate for cricket is blatant , just because he is an emerging player from another sport doesnt give him the right to disrespect other sports.
Watson87 Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Look there are many sports in the world that I dont like/ enjoy watching ' date=' for example Rugby , have never been interested in it , so do you think I can call off " Rugby" as lazy or stupid sport by pinpointing some of its fundamentals? I would call it boring and something that I dont like but never Lazy just because I dont like it unless offcourse I have some hatred for the sport and its players just as whats the case in here . This Guy's hate for cricket is blatant , just because he is an emerging player from another sport doesnt give him the right to disrespect other sports.[/quote'] Well he's a boxer, I wouldn't wanna mess with him. So it's better to be on his side. :D Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, to him boxing is a better sport and not lazy because you can always expect a result unlike 5 days without a result :(( sometimes it's pain
Baad Indian Posted March 9, 2011 Author Posted March 9, 2011 Well he's a boxer, I wouldn't wanna mess with him. So it's better to be on his side. :D Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, to him boxing is a better sport and not lazy because you can always expect a result unlike 5 days without a result :(( sometimes it's pain Lol Alright , but just because he is a Boxer doesnt mean he is Khali the Great , Our own Gayle , Sulieman Benn , Flintoff , Tait , Pathan or even that Retard Afridi can beat the crap out of this arrogant Boxer without the help of Gloves . He can win in boxing but not desi maramaari/dhulai
Mariyam Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Well he's a boxer, I wouldn't wanna mess with him. So it's better to be on his side. :D Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, to him boxing is a better sport and not lazy because you can always expect a result unlike 5 days without a result :(( sometimes it's pain Don't boxing matches end in ties too? I dunno, I'm asking. And what does not getting a result have to do with the game being lazy. Football teams can have a go at each other and give it their all, and still the game can be tied. That makes football a lazy game according to Vijender?
Late Cut Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Perhaps he means Lazy, as in "slow moving" or "sluggish" as some might describe some indian boxers. hehehehehe
Watson87 Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Don't boxing matches end in ties too? I dunno, I'm asking. And what does not getting a result have to do with the game being lazy. Football teams can have a go at each other and give it their all, and still the game can be tied. That makes football a lazy game according to Vijender? I have never watched a boxing game in my life, so beats me. Football is 90 minutes, players are running all the time, passing the ball around, having shots at the posts, excellent skills, bootiful ladkiyas in the stadium, sometimes pissed off hooligans compare this to cricket 9 hours of play for 5 consecutive days and you get a draw? Which draw seems more acceptable? Also, in cricket you see a lot of nonathletic people, no need to name them, football players looks to be more in shape compared to cricketers. I wouldn't say cricket is a lazy sport, but more effort is required in football.
Watson87 Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Lol Alright ' date=' but just because he is a Boxer doesnt mean he is Khali the Great , Our own Gayle , Sulieman Benn , Flintoff , Tait , Pathan or even that Retard [b']Afridi can beat the crap out of this arrogant Boxer without the help of Gloves . He can win in boxing but not desi maramaari/dhulai No doubt about that Retard will probably take him home and do something else:giggle: will beat him all right but in a different angle
Recommended Posts