Vijender Singh to face Russia's Artysh Lopsan in Goa

The boxer is finally returning to action after a long period.

Vijender Singh’s hotly anticipated boxing clash finally has a confirmation on the opponent. Russian Artysh Lopsan will take his place in the ring against the Indian on 19 March. The bout will interestingly take place on top of a ship in Panaji.

In a one of a kind contest, the former Olympic bronze medallist turned professional boxer, Vijender Singh will fight Lopsan atop the Majestic Pride Casino Ship, as reported by PTI.

The two boxers will be contesting in the super middle-weight (76kg) category and the Indian fans of Vijender Singh will finally see him in action after more than an year, due to the obstacles brought in by the global pandemic. His last fight came way back in Novemeber 2019, when he defeated Ghana’s Charles Adamu in Dubai.

Vijender had been preparing for the upcoming contest for the last couple of months, sparring with local boxers from Bhiwani. "It wasn't the easiest year and initially it took a while for the body to respond. But the last two months have been fabulous for me. Jai Bhagwan (2010 CWG bronze-medallist) helped me with my training here in Gurgaon," Vijender told PTI in an interview.

Artysh Lopsan has contested six professional boxing bouts in his career yet, winning four of them. The 26-year-old will be up against the undefeated Indian whose professional record stands at 12-0 till yet. 

"I didn't face any trouble finding sparring partners to prepare myself. The facilities were also very accessible thanks to my promoters (IOS Boxing Promotions). So I am in a good shape and raring to go,” Vijender further expressed in regards to his preparation ahead of the fight.

The 35-year-old will look to extend his undefeated streak to 13 victories, while Lopsan will look to be his first defeat in the professional career. Vijender is a good fighter but I'm here to end his unbeaten streak. What better way to end his streak than knocking him down in front of his audience. I've trained hard for this fight and I'm raring to go," Lopsan was quoted as saying.

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