Making the upper cut

It is a reassuring picture of domesticity that immediately balms over concerns of the good-looking boxer showing up at parties or fashion shows — seen as needless distractions. A regular face on television in adverts,Vijender is also set to feature in a Bollywood movie based on his life,but two days of the week,Wednesday and Saturday,are when all shooting engagements are wrapped up,even as he collects frequent-flyer hours on the Delhi-Mumbai-Chandigarh sector,showing up for training on the remaining days — punctual as ever.

Beijing made Vijender a household name,but the three-year-period after the medal saw Vijender suffer a loss in the semi-final at Delhi’s CWG,a defeat which held its own unique lessons. “One of the low points emotionally was when people questioned my attitude after the Olympics. I had prepared for four years for Beijing Olympics and I needed some rest.

“A lot of people think that boxers are from rural backgrounds so they don’t know how to prepare or organise schedules. But we are fully aware,” warns Vijender.

The lows

Post Beijing,when the Bhiwani boxer took a six-month break,the first rumour to take flight had been that Vijender would now shift to professional boxing. But success in the form of a bronze in the Asian Boxing Championship and then India’s first-ever medal in the World Championships in 2009,meant critics were temporarily silenced. However like a recurring nightmare,that gloomy October evening at Talkatora Stadium last year flashes back and Vijender reveals with a shiver the day adulation was replaced by inquisition.

“The CWG loss made me lose sleep. I was shocked. I went back to Bhiwani and spent a week there before the Asian Games. For my folks,I was still the old Viju which was reassuring. I did normal things like chatting with friends,roaming around fields and watching Roger Federer on television. It helped calm me down. The Asian Games gold medal came because of the loss at CWG. It was a lesson learnt the hard way,” says the boxer.

With the Olympic qualifiers set to be held in September in the form of the World Championships at Azerbaijan,Vijender is often seen spending extra time at training,something essential post the new scoring rules. “Also,only one Indian boxer qualifies per category,” he stresses,not taking his current position on the top of the AIBA rankings in the 75 kg category for granted.

Not the biggest fans of air-conditioned training set-ups,Vijender still prefers his quiet time shadow-boxing in the garden for fresh air,and nor will he trade his mattresses on the floor for softer cushions.

London dreams

Ask him about his modeling days,the boxer is quick to point out,“Not many people know that I modelled for brands even before Beijing to earn extra money. A gold medal in London will put an end to all questions about what I do in life,” he says,before fishing out a newspaper cut-out of Sachin Tendulkar meeting his hero in Wimbledon last month. “If I win gold at the Olympics,I’ll also try meeting Roger.”

Vijender’s London dream is a vivid one,in which he visualises celebrating the feat with the best. Of course,with his wife in tow.