India to take on Australia in Fight Night

The Fight Night will feature five bouts of three rounds each,under amateur rules. Besides Vijender,the Indian team includes Chhote Lal Yadav,Vikas Khatri,Jai Singh Patil,Balwinder Singh Beniwal and Manpreet Singh.

IABF general secretary Muralidharan Raja said the event,despite featuring only exhibition bouts,would serve as an ideal rehearsal for the next set of Olympic qualifiers. “Any kind of competitive bout,with crowds cheering the boxers on,is good preparation… They get to box against boxers of different styles from various countries.”

He said this was true for boxers taking part in the World Series of Boxing. “Again,they’re getting to box against a variety of styles,and with short gaps between the matches,they are getting a lot of opportunities… Plus,they’re getting toughened by boxing five rounds without vests or head guards.”

On Vijender’s recent suggestion that the Fight Night would be less dangerous than the World Series as it would involve vests and head guards,Raja said: “I can’t comment on individual opinions,but all boxing will be like the World Series in the future. The AIBA (International Amateur Boxing Association) have announced that amateur bouts at the senior level — men and women — will be without head guards from August 2012.”