Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar set for six professional bouts this year
Boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar both formally signed up with IOS Boxing Promotions today in New Delhi and will have six professional bouts each in 2017, two of them international. The duo will be joined in Gurgaon by a trainer from Manchester as they prepare for their first bout on April 1.
Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar and bronze medallist Jitender Kumar, who have turned recently professional, will have six bouts this year, starting with four-round contests on their debut night on April 1 in Mumbai.
Akhil and Jitender first rose to the scene after their quarterfinal finishes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and will now make their professional debut
While Akhil would be competing in the super lightweight category, Jitender would be seen fighting in the super featherweight division.
"We have been training for quite a while. I know it is just over a month's time before we make our debuts but we have the experience to adapt quickly and deliver the results," Akhil told TOI.
"I have always gone the way Akhil has guided me and with him by my side, I am sure it will be another good journey," added Jitender.
Both the Haryana boxers formally signed up with IOS Boxing Promotions in New Delhi today. Both of them serve as DSPs in Haryana PoliceĀ and had to take permission from their departments to turn professional. By the end of this month, they will have a trainer from Manchester who will oversee their training at a centre developed by IOS in Gurgaon.
"Akhil and Jitu are our prime boxers after Vijender and there will be a trainer from Manchester coming over to Delhi by this month end to oversee their training. Of the six fights that Akhil and Jitu will compete in this year, two will be international. We have big plans for them and they would be training abroad as well," said IOS MD Neerav Tomar.
The fight night on April 1 will see Vijender, a WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion, take on WBO Oriental champion and Chinese No.1 Zulpikar Maimaitiali. The winner will take home both the titles.