Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh, who is all set to defend his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight championship title against Francis Cheka in New Delhi, has insisted that the Tanzanian boxer's brilliant knockout record will not be playing any role in his mind and he would be focusing on giving his best.
The 30-year-old Haryana boy secured his first WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title in July this year against Australian Kerry Hope. The Indian knockout merchant is now looking to defend his title in front of home crowd by knocking out Cheka in the early rounds at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex on December 17.
"I don't care about records. Record does not matter to me but the win matters. Let the people say, I don't care. I will take it in the same way as I fought my previous bouts. I have achieved victories previously and will look to do the same this time around," the undefeated boxer said in an exclusive conversation with ANI.
Vijender has made an explosive start to his pro-career in the paid ranks by blowing away his first seven opponents in just 27 rounds. Cheka, the former world champion is Vijender's most experienced opponent to date and will prove a stern test for the big-hitting Indian boxer. Vijender currently has a record of seven out of seven wins with six knockouts.
Talking about his preparation, the 31-year-old stresses he has worked really hard for the upcoming title defence bout and is now ready to put his best foot forward.
"Preparations are going well for the bout in New Delhi. I want to see many more celebrities attending the fight. I am absolutely ready for the fight. I have trained a lot for this event. We have fought bouts featuring 12 to 14 rounds. I was in Manchester for two months where I have done a lot of track work, swimming and in fact spent 7 to 8 hours in Gym," Vijender explained.
Since defeating Kerry Hope, just a few months back at the national capital, Vijender Singh has been away from India and training hard in Manchester for his title defence fight next month. The undefeated champion is looking for yet another win against Cheka, which will put him in the top ten of the WBO rankings.
Cheka, on the other hand, said that although it would be a good fight for him but not the big one, especially because he had fought in many big nations against big boxers.
"It is a good fight but it is not a big fight. I have competed in many big fights. I fought with American fighter Phil Williams- the World Champion and defeated him also. I fought in Roman and England. So, I have competed in big nations. This is just small fight for me," Cheka said.
Cheka is a veteran of 43 fights with 32 wins including 17 knockouts and has tested himself against top super-middleweight talent including WBA World Champion Fedor Chudinov from Russia and WBC International Champion Matthew Mecklin from UK.
The experienced boxer from Tanzania has racked up 300 grueling rounds under his belt in the 16 years of his career in contrast to Vijender Singh's 27 and has no fear fighting in India.
Cheka currently holds the Intercontinental Super Middleweight Championship title, which he won earlier this year in February against Geard Ajetovic of Serbia.
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