"Stop fighting children, I am ready for a bout," Indian boxing ace Vijender Singh, fresh from his 11th straight pro win, challenged British star Amir Khan here on Thursday.
Khan, the British boxer of Pakistan origin, has expressed a desire to lock horns with Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender a number of times but the bout has not materialised yet.
During the announcement of his last bout, Khan had also claimed that Vijender was scared of him. Replying to his challenge, the Haryana-boxer said it was Khan who picked juniors to fight against.
"I am ready to fight with Amir. He picked a junior boxer to fight. Neeraj Goyat is way junior to me. I had said before and I am saying it again I am ready to fight whenever he tells me to. He should stop fighting kids," Vijender said on the sidelines of a felicitation event organised by Platinum Heavy Duty Cement.
A bout between the two prolific boxers may, however, be a long shot as Khan competes in the welterweight category (63.5kg-66.7kg) while Vijender contests in the super middleweight division (73kg-76kg) but the Indian was quick to come up with a solution for the problem.
"I can reduce my weight a little and he can increase it and we can agree on a mid point. He has done it before."
"I had no idea about Mike before the bout. On the last day, my coach showed a video of him and how he fights. Earlier, I felt he is not such a good boxer but when his first punch connected me, I was shaken I felt yes now I am in the league."
"I never say no to anything. Life teaches you something everyday. I saw it as an opportunity to work for the people. I am thinking I will go to the moon, I never say no to anything. But I will never leave boxing because this is my identity."