Vijender Singh Beniwal
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Vijender Singh Beniwal (born 29 October 1985) is an Indian professional boxer and politician. As an
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, he won a bronze medal at the
2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
, becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He also won bronze medals at the 2009 World Championships and the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
, as well as silver medals at the
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
, all in the
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
division. In June 2015, Vijender Singh turned professional and signed a multi-year agreement with Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment. This ruled him out of
2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...
which would have been his fourth.


Early life

Vijender Singh was born in a
Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subse ...
family on 29 October 1985 in Kaluwas village, from
Bhiwani Bhiwani is a city and a municipal council in Bhiwani district in the state of Haryana, Bhiwani was also known as "Gate of Rajputana". Besides being a seat of spiritual learning, the city is at the centre of regional politics and hometown of t ...
, Haryana. His father, Mahipal Singh Beniwal, is a bus driver with the Haryana Roadways, while his mother is a homemaker. His father drove extra hours for overtime pay, for Vijender and his elder brother Manoj's education. Vijender did his primary schooling in Kaluwas, secondary schooling in Bhiwani, finally receiving a bachelor's degree from Vaish College, Bhiwani. He married Archana Singh in 2011. They have two sons together, Abir Singh and Amrik Singh. In order to ensure a better life for their poor family, Vijender decided to learn boxing. Vijender was inspired by his elder brother Manoj, a former boxer himself, to join the sport of boxing. After Manoj succeeded in entering the Indian Army in 1998 with his boxing credentials, he decided to support Vijender financially so he could continue his boxing training. Vijender's parents decided to not pressurise him to continue his studies, as they felt that he had a talent and passion for boxing. For Vijender, boxing quickly grew from an interest and passion to a career choice. Alongside boxing and working part-time, he tried his hand at modelling to financially support his training. Singh cites the likes of boxers
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
and
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, boxing promoter Don King, and the character
Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eigh ...
from the '' Rocky'' film series among his influences.


Amateur boxing career


Getting started

He trained at the
Bhiwani Boxing Club The Bhiwani Boxing Club in Bhiwani in the state of Haryana, India came to the limelight in 1982 as four of the five boxers who represented India at the 2000 Summer Olympics are from Bhiwani. Sports Authority of India coach and boxer Jagdish Sin ...
, where former national-level boxer and Jagdish Singh recognised his talent. The first recognition for Vijender came when he won a bout in the state level competition. Vijender won a silver medal in his first sub-junior nationals in 1997 and went on to bag his first gold medal at the 2000 Nationals. In 2003, he became the all-India youth boxing champion. The turning point, however, came in the
2003 Afro-Asian Games The 2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as the First Afro-Asian Games or I Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major international multi-sport sporting event, event held in Hyderabad, India, from ...
. Despite being a junior boxer, Vijender took part in the selection trials and was picked for the meet where he fought valiantly to win a silver medal. Singh cites the likes boxers
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
and
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, boxing promoter Don King, and ''Rocky'' character Rocky Balbao among his influences.


2004–07: The Athens Olympics and The Commonwealth Games

Vijender competed at the
2004 Athens Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, in the welterweight division, but lost to Mustafa Karagollu of Turkey by a score of 20–25. At the
2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
, he defeated England's Neil Perkins in the semifinal but lost to South Africa's Bongani Mwelase in the final, thus leaving with a silver medal. He decided to move up in weight and Vijender took part in the middleweight (75 kg) division at the
2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
in Doha, where he won the bronze medal in a lost semifinal bout against Kazakhstan's
Bakhtiyar Artayev Bakhtiyar Garifollauly Artayev ( kk, Бақтияр Ғарифоллаұлы Артаев, ''Baqtiiar Ğarifollaūly Artaev''; born 14 March 1983) is a Kazakh amateur boxer who won the gold medal for Kazakhstan at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He w ...
with the final score of 24–29. Initially Vijender was not supposed to compete because of a back injury, but he recovered in time to win the tournament and qualify for the
2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
. Among his preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a period spent early in that year when he trained with German boxers in their own country. This training incorporated a tournament involving boxers from around Europe, in one event of which Singh won gold having beaten a German in the process. At The President's Cup boxing tournament, which is touted as a dress rehearsal for the Olympic games, Vijender defeated Artayev in a quarterfinal bout. Speaking after this, Vijender sounded confident of his physical shape. Talking about his preparation for the Beijing Olympics, Vijender said:
"I did not do well the last time because then I was young and did not have the experience. I have just made it to the senior level and qualified for the Olympics. Now I have the experience. I have won medals at major tournaments like the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Recently, I also beat the 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist akhtiyarArtayev n the AIBA President's Cup so I have done quite well at the international level. So, definitely, everyone can expect a good showing from me in Beijing."
"Now I have quite a lot of experience after competing at the international level regularly. I just want to say that Indian boxers are no longer a weak lot; all are doing well at the international level. Our boxing graph is going up all the time and the rest of the world is now scared to face Indian boxers."


2008–09: The Beijing Olympics and AIBA top rank

After the wins in Germany, Vijender's training for the Olympics continued in Patiala where Indian boxers going to the Olympics held a camp. Vijender was accompanied by boxers Dinesh Kumar, Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Antharish Lakra. The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) sent a videographer to shoot extensively the bouts involving the likely opponents of the five Indian boxers. A team of coaches went through the video footage shot by videographer Sambhu of the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and studied the technique of the boxers from various countries in detail, so as to prepare Vijender and the others regarding the opponent's manoeuvres and fighting techniques. At the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, he defeated
Badou Jack Badou Johannes Gabriel Jack (born 31 October 1983) is a Swedish professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC super-middleweight title from 2014 to 2017 and the WBA light-heavyweight title in 201 ...
of The Gambia 13–2 in the round of 32. In the round of 16, he defeated Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand 13–3 to reach the Middleweight Boxing Quarterfinals. He beat southpaw
Carlos Góngora Carlos Góngora Mercado (born April 25, 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional boxer who held the IBO super middleweight title between 2020 and December 2021. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio in the me ...
of Ecuador 9–4 in the quarterfinals on 20 August 2008 which guaranteed him a medal, the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. He lost 5–8 to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semi-finals on 22 August 2008 and shared a bronze medal. Vijender, and Indian wrestler
Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar Solanki (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. His 2008 Olympic medal was second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Ja ...
—who won a bronze at the men's wrestling competitions—were welcomed grandly to India after their victory. In July 2009, Vijender accompanied by Sushil and boxer Mary Kom were garlanded with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award—India's highest sporting honour. It was the first time that three sportspeople were picked for the award; the award selection committee decided to grant the award to all of them, taking into consideration their performance for the cycle of 2008–09. Kom and Vijender were the first boxers to get the award which carried prize money of Rs 750,000 and a
citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...
. Both Sushil and Vijender were recommended to the Padma Shri awards committee, by the Indian Sports and Home Ministries; however, they were denied the awards after recommendations were not fruitful by the Padma Awards Committee for 2009 winners. The denial of Padma Shri for them created a furore among masses with allegations of promoting only a few sports. Vijender later took up a job with the Haryana Police department which paid him Rs 14,000 per month. Vijender participated at the
2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships The 2009 AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Milan, Italy, from September 1, 2009 to September 12, 2009, in the Mediolanum Forum. It was the biggest World Championships in AIBA history. The competition was under the supervision of the ...
. He was beaten by Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan in the semi-final of the 75 kg Middleweight category, by 7 points to 3 and was thus awarded the bronze medal. Vijender won the first round of the bout 1–0, only for Atoev to run rampant in the second, landing five unanswered blows. The third round was evenly contested with both fighters scoring on a couple of occasions, but Vijender had already lost the match. In September 2009, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced Vijender as the top-ranked boxer in its annual middle-weight (75 kg) category list. He topped the list with 2800 points.


2010–14: Padma Shri, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games

In January 2010, Vijender was awarded the Padma Shri for outstanding contribution to Indian sports. Later, he participated in the invitational Champions of Champions boxing tournament in China, and won a silver medal, losing 0–6 to Zhang Jin Ting in the 75 kg middleweight final. At the 2010 Commonwealth Boxing Championship held in New Delhi 18 March 2010, he along with five other fellow Indians won gold medal. Vijender defeated England's
Frank Buglioni Frank Buglioni (born 18 April 1989)Frank Buglioni
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13–3. At the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
, Vijender Singh was beaten by England's
Anthony Ogogo Anthony Osejua Ojo Ogogo (born 24 November 1988) is an English professional wrestler and former professional boxer signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). As a boxer, he competed from 2013 to 2016 as a professional, and won a bronze medal in the ...
in the semi-finals. Leading 3–0 on points going into the final round, Singh was twice given a two-point penalty by Canadian referee Michael Summers, the second for coming just 20 seconds before the end of the bout, leading Ogogo to win by 4 points to 3. The Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) launched an unsuccessful appeal, leaving Singh with a bronze medal. IBF Secretary General P K Muralidharan Raja said, "The jury reviewed the bout and came to the conclusion that Vijender was holding his opponent and the referee was right in warning him. When the Indian team pointed out that even Ogogo was holding Vijender, the jury felt it was not the case." Singh lashed out saying that the penalties were "harsh and unfair. The warnings were unfair and harsh. If the referee thought I was holding Ogogo then he should have penalised this guy as well. He was also holding me. It's a joke that somebody has won by scoring points just out of warnings." One month later, in November, he won the
2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...
shutting out Uzbek two time world champion Abbos Atoev 7:0 in the final. At the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, he beat Danabek Suzhanov of Kazakhstan 14–10 in the first round of men's middle-weight 75 kg category Boxing event, to advance to the round of 16 of the games. He then edged out American
Terrell Gausha Terrell Maurice Gausha ( ; born September 9, 1987) is an American professional boxer who challenged for the WBA and IBO light middleweight titles in 2017. As an amateur he represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the middl ...
16–15 to win the pre-quarter finals bout. He lost to Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan in quarter final with a score of 13–17. In the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
, Singh claimed the silver medal after being defeated by England's
Antony Fowler Anthony John Fowler (born 10 March 1991) is a British former professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships and gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retired (05th June 2023) Amateur career Fowler co ...
by unanimous decision.


Professional career


Early fights

Singh turned professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment. On 10 October 2015 Singh fought his first professional boxing match. He defeated his opponent Sonny Whiting by TKO. On 7 November, Singh knocked British boxer Dean Gillen in round 1 at the National Stadium in Dublin. In his third pro fight, Singh fought on the undercard of
Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
- Saunders on 19 December. Singh defeated Bulgarian Samet Hyuseinov via technical knockout. On 21 March 2016 Singh knocked out Hungary's Alexander Horvath in round 3 on the Flanagan-
Matthews Matthews may refer to: People * Matthews (surname) Places * Matthews Island, Antarctica * Matthews Range, Kenya * Mount Matthews, New Zealand United States * Matthews, Georgia * Matthews, Indiana * Matthews, Maryland * Matthews, Missouri * Mat ...
undercard. Singh defeated French boxer Matiouze Royer at the Copper Box Arena on 30 April via 5th-round TKO. The fight was halted due to Royer suffering a cut above his left eye. On 13 May, Singh fought at Bolton's
Macron Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
against Polish Andrej Soldra. Singh won via 3rd-round TKO, knocking down Soldra in round 5 to mark his 6th professional win in a row, all coming by way of knockout. On 7 July 2016 Singh defeated Australian Kerry Hope for the vacant
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
Asia Pacific
Super Middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
title on his home soil in India, marking his seventh consecutive win, this time by unanimous decision, thus ending his 6 fight knockout streak. Two judges scored it 98–92, while the third judge had it 100–90. With winning the WBO Asia Pacific title, on 3 August, WBO announced Singh moved up to number 10th spot in the rankings. Singh successfully defended his title in an impressive technical knockout win over Cheka in the 3rd round. According to Frank Warren, the fight garnered an average 60 million viewers and had an attendance of 15,000 at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex. Following the fight, Singh stated he could challenge for the Commonwealth or Oriental title in 2017, whether that be in the UK or in India. In an official statement by Team Singh on 12 May, it was confirmed that Singh had parted ways with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions with immediate effect, whilst remaining with IOS Boxing Promotions. The reason behind this was "Queensberry not honoring and delivering their contractual obligations for more than a year". In June 2017, the WBO confirmed that they would sanction a regional unification fight between Singh and WBO Oriental super middleweight champion Zulpikar Maimaitiali of China. The New Indian Express announced the fight, billed as "''Battleground Asia''" would take place on 5 August 2017 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. On 26 July, IOS Boxing Promotions and Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions announced that they had reached a deal to work together once again. Singh retained his Asia Pacific title and won the Oriential title after the fight went to the scorecards after 10 rounds. The judges scored the fight 96–93, 95–94, 95–94 in favour of Singh. Although the fight was scored close, Singh seemed to have the fight under control using his height and reach. In round six, Maimaitiali was docked a point for repeated low blows after being warned in previous rounds. Had he not been docked a point, the fight would have ended as a majority draw. After the bout, Singh praised his opponent, "I didn't expect him to fight so well and last the distance. I thought this would last for a maximum of 5-6 rounds. Hence I didn't fight according to my strategies. I just want to tell China, please don't come to our border. This is for peace." He said about the bout, "The blows disturbed me. He has been fantastic. His aggression was terrific." He also offered the title back to Maimaitiali, as a message for peace. This was in relation to the recent border tension between India and China. On 16 November 2017, the Commonwealth Boxing Council ordered Rocky Fielding to defend his super middleweight title against Singh. Frank Warren won the bid and stated the fight would take place on 31 March 2018 at the CopperBox Arena in London. On 4 December 2017, upon announcing Vijender Singh Promotions, Singh announced that he would next fight on 23 December against Ghanaian boxer Ernest Amuzu (23-2, 21 KOs) in Jaipur. Singh retained his regional titles with a dominant 10-round decision win. All three judges scored the fight 100–90 in favour of Singh, who improved to 10 wins and no losses.


Signing with Top Rank

Having not fought in 2018 and struggling to land a title fight, on 20 November 2018, Singh signed a multiyear promotional contract with American-based boxing promotional company, Top Rank.


Public image

After his 2008 Olympic win, Vijender emerged into mainstream media prominence in India and became the latest
pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...
boy. Apart from boxing, Vijender took part in ramp shows also. However he commented that with partaking modelling, he wished to "bring the game oxingin the limelight, make it as popular as possible and catapult it to its deserving place at the top." He has regularly spoken against the bias that Indian media has promoted only cricket as the sole game in India. In an interview with '' The Kolkata Telegraph'', he commented:
Thanks to the media, people have started taking boxing seriously over the past two years. Everyone knows my name now because my achievements have been highlighted. ''Lekin boxing ka toh kuch promotion hi nahin hota India mein''. (But boxing is still not promoted in India!) We don't have boxing academies, we don't even have proper boxing rings. I have lost count of the times I have approached the government and the sporting authorities for support, but nothing has happened. ..In this country, everyone is hung up on cricket. Forget about boxing, India is doing so well in other sports too. Saina Nehwal is a great badminton player, the Indian tennis team has just won a
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
tie, ''lekin hamare liye support kahan hai''? (but where is the support for all of us?)
Although previously denied by him, '' Hindustan Times'' reported that the boxer took up a role in the part real part fictional Bollywood thriller tentatively titled ''One'', to be directed by South Indian director Anand. The film was later revealed to be named ''Patiala Express'', which is produced by Percept Limited. Shooting for the film was supposed to begin in early 2011. However, on 17 May 2011, Vijender married Archana Singh, a software engineer with an MBA degree, from Delhi. The wedding was solemnised in Delhi in a simple ceremony, and reception was organised at his native place Bhiwani. However, the wedding prompted the filmmakers to drop him from the project, as they felt that Vijender would not enjoy the same popularity among female fans. The film's launch was widely reported in March 2011, and actor Govinda had confirmed Vijender's debut with his daughter. Vijender refused to confirm if he has indeed been dropped from the film, saying that "I have to concentrate on my boxing. Wait before you see me in films." Before the 2012 London Olympics, Vijender spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the increasing government bias to boost cricket. "I still fail to understand why only cricketers are given perks like free land, and so on. Come on, we boxers aren’t that bad either: We’re smart, intelligent and decent looking too! I’m working really hard to make my country proud. I hope someday my turn comes, too" he clarified. Vijender was approached by
Percept Picture Company Percept Picture Company is an Indian film production company, established in 2002 and a division of Percept Limited, an entertainment, media and communications company based in Mumbai. It has produced films like ''Dhol'', '' MP3: Mera Pehla Pehl ...
to act as a guide and counsellor to participants taking part in the Indian version of the boxing reality show '' The Contender'', which follows a group of boxers competing with each other in a single elimination style-competition. He agreed despite being still contractually obligated with Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS), a celebrity management firm who dealt with his media appearances and ramp walks as a male model. IOS successfully petitioned the Delhi High Court to bar him from entering into any deal with Percept. Vijender appeared on Bollywood actor Salman Khan's game show ''
10 Ka Dum ''10 Ka Dum'' (English: Power of 10) is an Indian version of the international reality game show ''Power of 10'', and aired on Sony Entertainment Television. The show was hosted by popular Bollywood actor Salman Khan. According to reports, the sh ...
''. He was accompanied by Bollywood actress
Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude in films like ''Khwahish'' (2003) and ''Murder'' (2004), Sherawat ...
. Other appearances includes the fourth season of the Indian dance reality show ''
Nach Baliye ''Nach Baliye'' () is an Indian Hindi-language celebrity dance reality television series that airs on Star Plus. Production Concept The show is a competition wherein 10 television celebrity couples compete against each other. Contestants dance ...
'' with actress Bipasha Basu. Vijender is credited by the critics and the media for bringing the sport of boxing back into the limelight in India. His rise to the top rank of the boxing world has been an inspiration for the younger generation and has brought more aspirants and followers, to the sport. Vijender was one of the judges on MTV India's reality TV show ''
Roadies X2 ''MTV Roadies'' is a youth-based reality show. It was launched in 2003 and airs on MTV India. The show is also digitally available on Voot. In this show, a group of contestants travel to different destinations and participate in various tasks ...
''.


Bollywood

Although previously denied by him, '' Hindustan Times'' reported that the boxer took up a role in the part real part fictional Bollywood thriller tentatively titled ''One'', to be directed by South Indian director Anand. The film was later revealed to be named ''Patiala Express'', which is produced by Percept Limited. Shooting for the film was supposed to begin in early 2011. However, on 17 May 2011, Vijender married Archana Singh, a software engineer with an MBA degree, from Delhi. The wedding was solemnised in Delhi in a simple ceremony, and reception was organised at his native place Bhiwani. However, the wedding prompted the filmmakers to drop him from the project, as they felt that Vijender would not enjoy the same popularity among female fans. The film's launch was widely reported in March 2011, and actor Govinda had confirmed Vijender's debut with his daughter. Vijender refused to confirm if he has indeed been dropped from the film, saying that "I have to concentrate on my boxing. Wait before you see me in films." Vijender made his Bollywood debut as an actor in film ''Fugly'', released on 13 June 2014. The film is produced by Grazing Goat Productions, owned by Akshay Kumar and Ashvini Yardi. The film got above average reviews.


Drug controversy

On 6 March 2012, during a raid conducted on an
NRI NRI or Nri may refer to : * Kingdom of Nri, an Igbo kingdom that flourished between the 10th century and early 20th century * National Radio Institute, a now defunct post-secondary vocational correspondence school * National Resources Inventory * N ...
residence near Chandigarh, Punjab Police seized 26 kilograms of heroin and other drugs, valued at . They also recovered a car registered in the name of Vijender's wife from outside the home of alleged drug dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon. Later in March, a Punjab Police statement said, "As per investigation conducted so far, Vijender Singh consumed the drug about 12 times and Ram Singh (his sparring partner) about five times." Singh denied the allegations and refused to give his hair and blood samples for testing. However, NADA refused to test Vijender claiming protocol did not allow it to test an athlete for that drug when he was out of competition. However, the Sports Ministry of India directed NADA to conduct a test on the boxer since these reports were "disturbing and may have a debilitating influence on other sportspersons in the country". By mid-May 2013, Singh was given an "all-clean" certificate by the National Anti-Doping Agency.


Professional boxing record


Political career

Vijender joined the Indian National Congress on the eve of the
2019 Indian general election General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter ...
and unsuccessfully contested the South Delhi constituency.


Filmography


See also

* Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Middleweight * Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's middleweight


References


External links

* * *
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Vijender 1985 births Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games medalists in boxing Boxers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Boxers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India Indian male boxers Living people Middleweight boxers Olympic boxers of India Olympic bronze medalists for India Olympic medalists in boxing People from Bhiwani Recipients of the Arjuna Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Boxers from Haryana Welterweight boxers Boxers at the 2006 Asian Games Boxers at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award Boxers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Asian Games bronze medalists for India Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games