Vijender Singh's all-win record is an ode to his skill, but he must dare to fight better opponents to court lasting greatness

Vijender Singh is 32 years old. Since turning pro in 2015, he has maintained a frenetic and impressive pace for a modern fighter, stepping in the ring on 10 occasions. He has never been defeated , dispatching most opponents with ease (with one notable exception) and going the distance thrice. With a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, Vijender’s amateur pedigree is beyond question. Vijender also owns the WBO Super Middleweight and Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title. [caption id=“attachment_4273107” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Vijender Singh defeated Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu to retain titles and maintain his unbeaten run in pro circuit. Twitter[/caption] In most others sports — golf, chess, cricket, football — Vijender would, undoubtedly be looking forward to many fruitful years ahead. Unfortunately, boxing is not like other sports. In no other sport do you take repeated blows to the head and risk permanent injury. One punch is enough to alter careers; one long-drawn beating enough to leave a man maimed for life. The slightest slowing of reflexes canto turn a young man into an aging fighter. Boxing is merciless. Cruel. They don’t call it The Hurt Business for nothing. For fans, Vijender’s performance on Saturday night was encouraging. Other than a lethargic first round, where he looked dry, Vijender was almost always in control, fighting in spurts and content to win the exchanges. That could be chalked-up to a shorter-than-usual training camp or Vijender simply trying to preserve his tank after the unexpectedly close bout in August with Zulpikar Maimaitiali. It must have been a chastening experience to be run so close so early in your career. Vijender seems to have now made the adjustment from being a four and six-rounder to a ten-round fighter. It is a leap most amateurs are simply unable to make. Although Vijender’s feet didn’t move as nimbly as some would have liked, his hands were fast and accurate. The left jab flickered out relentlessly, setting up the right hand to the head and body. That right hand, which is Vijender’s money punch, is a thing of beauty. While Vijender didn’t seem to have life-threatening power in his right, it certainly hit hard enough to keep Ernest Amuzu honest. Only the Ghanian’s seemingly iron chin kept him from tasting the canvas on more than one occasion, although his legs seemed to buckle with some regularity. Vijender’s defence is solid, if unspectacular. He certainly possess the fundamentals of hitting and not getting hit. And when he was hit — as is expected when you lace up the boxing boots and gloves — Vijender seemed to absorb the blows with equanimity. Perhaps best of all, when Vijender received a cut because of an accidental head butt, he kept his cool under pressure. No one ever knows how a fighter will react to a cut or the sight of their own blood. Even the great Manny Pacquiao was known to turn squeamish. The problem Vijender has is this: if he wants to be great, time is conspiring against him. While most fighters, at this stage in their professional career (10-0), would be fighting opponents of Amuzu’s calibre, they would also be in their early 20s. They’d have at least a decade and a half ahead of them to learn the tricks of the professional trade, which are many. If one were being generous, one could estimate that Vijender has five years to make hay. More likely three. And while Vijender is a very good fighter and a sound boxer, he remains untested at the highest levels. To be fair, this is by design. Look at the first ten opponents of any talented boxer’s career — Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard — and you’ll find a variety of carefully selected opponents to make the fighter look good. To bring him along. To teach him something new in every fight. To elevate him, little by little. There’s no shame in it. That’s the way the game goes. As the recent Lomachenko-Rigondeaux bout proved, there are levels to this game. Vijender is in a catch-22 situation. While he needs seasoning at the professional level, he doesn’t have the luxury what all boxers need — time to learn on the job and between the ropes. And if he were to overreach and land an opponent too far above his experience, based on Saturday night’s result, he’s more likely than not to kiss that perfect record goodbye. And Vijender’s aura, at least to the Indian audience, is based on his impeccable record and knock-out power. So Vijender is faced with a choice: To continue on his path, face overmatched opponents and slowly build up his record, or to go big and prepare to go for broke. The arguments for continuing on his chosen path are sound and imminently reasonable. A perfect record may not be everything in boxing, but it may be the only thing. Ask Floyd Mayweather Jr, who made millions based on his unbeaten streak. His win-loss record stands at an astounding 50-0. And Vijender, while continuing to fight opponents who are some way short of being world-class competitors, can build his reputation, burnish his aura and hopefully, his bank account as well. He more than deserves that for all his years of hard toil. But it will not fetch him what every boxer desires in their heart of hearts — greatness. Not any time soon at least. Bruce Lee once said, “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” It is a question only Vijender is prepared to answer. How great does he want to be? And what is he willing to risk? If he wants greatness, he’s going to have to go out and land himself a name opponent. And be prepared to risk it all.