Vijender pleads for an end to boxing’s administrative mess

Worried about the administrative logjam in Indian boxing, recently-crowned WBO Asia Pacific champion Vijender Singh on Saturday pleaded with the officials to put together a new federation at the earliest for the sake of country’s pugilists.

Speaking at the ASSOCHAM conference, in the presence of Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel, Vijender said the country’s boxers have been denied a voice at international events because of the current situation. “Our country does not have a boxing federation since last three to four years. (An) ad-hoc committee is presently running boxing. Earlier we had Abhay Singh Chautala as the Boxing Federation President for 10 to 12 years (till 2012), things went well but later the court case started and since then we don’t have any federation,” the 2008 Olympic bronze-medallist said. 

“I want India to have a Boxing Federation again and anyone including (national coach Gurbax Singh) Sandhu Sir can become president of it but a federation is required which can fight for the rights of the boxers,” said Singh, who turned professional last year.