For boxer Vijender’s first pro fight, mother sends him 20 kg ghee!

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 3

Preparing for his first bout as a professional boxer, Vijender Singh has got a simple brief from his mother: consume lots of home-made ghee daily and don’t forget to offer prayers to the ‘gram-devta’ (village deity).

If the first instruction raises the eyebrows of Vijender’s physical trainer Lee Beard, so be it. The doting mother knows what’s good for her son. ‘Viju’ may be strictly adhering to a new training regimen and a revamped diet chart, but his mother prefers to stick to the tried-and-tested recipe for success. The Bhiwani-based housewife, an agriculturist, has despatched 20 kg of desi ghee, specially prepared at home, to her son in England. There are other things too, but she is reluctant to talk about them.

“She said she would send only ghee, but kept packing other things and the package got bigger and bigger. Finally, we had to stop her,” said Mahipal Singh, Vijender’s father, who sent the package to their son through a courier service a few days ago.

The proud owner of a Murrah buffalo called Meenakshi, whose daily milk yield is 15 kg, Mahipal said, “Milk would have been ideal for Viju, but given the circumstances, ghee is the next best option.”  Among the other things that the family has sent to the boxer, now based in Manchester, are some family photographs and a framed photo of their ‘gram-devta’.

Vijender will fight his first professional bout on October 10 at the Manchester Arena against 27-year-old Sonny Whitting, a part-time boxer from Kent who trains at Peacock Gym in East London. 

Vijender has had a distinguished career as an amateur boxer, the highlight being his bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is expected to make a winning start on his professional debut against Whitting.