Elated and exhausted in equal measure after being crowned the WBO Asia Pacific champion, Indian boxing star Vijender Singh said on Saturday that he will savour the triumph for a while before looking at the possibility of a showdown with Pakistan-origin British star Amir Khan, who is keen for a face-off with him.
The 30-year-old dasher clinched his seventh straight win and the Super Middleweight title by outlasting former WBC European champion Kerry Hope in a 10-round contest, cheered vociferously by delirious home fans last night. The victory propelled him to the 15th spot in the WBO rankings and he will have to defend his title in the next two months.
Dedicating the triumph to the late Muhammad Ali, Vijender got just a few moments to celebrate with his team before being asked “what next”?
“I want to take some rest, may be for a month or so and we will see after that,” was his initial response.
But with no stopping the questions on his future in the post-bout press conference, the star finally listed his options.
Amir, a former WBA world champion, is primarily a lightweight boxer, who recently tried himself in the middleweight by taking on world champion Saul Canelo Alvarez. However, it ended in disaster for him when he was knocked out in the sixth round.
