Vijender Singh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vijender Singh
Singh at the Femina Miss India 2014
Statistics
Real name	Vijender Singh Beniwal
Nickname(s)	Singh
Rated at	Super-middleweight
Height	6 ft 0 in
Reach	76 in
Nationality	Indian
Born	(1985-10-29) 29 October 1985 (age 39) Kaluwas, Haryana, India
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	14
Wins	13
Wins by KO	9
Losses	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  India Olympic Games Bronze 2008 Beijing Middleweight World Championships Bronze 2009 Milan Middleweight Commonwealth Games Silver 2006 Melbourne Welterweight Silver 2014 Glasgow Middleweight Bronze 2010 Delhi Middleweight Asian Games Gold 2010 Guangzhou Middleweight Bronze 2006 Doha Middleweight Asian Championships Silver 2007 Ulaanbaatar Middleweight Bronze 2009 Zhuhai Middleweight

Vijender Singh Beniwal, born on October 29, 1985, is a famous Indian boxer and a politician. He made history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by winning a bronze medal. He was the first Indian boxer ever to win an Olympic medal!

As an amateur boxer, he also won bronze medals at the World Championships in 2009 and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He earned silver medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games. All these achievements were in the middleweight boxing division.

In June 2015, Vijender Singh decided to become a professional boxer. This meant he could not compete in the 2016 Olympics, which would have been his fourth time at the games. He has also been active in politics, running in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Early Life and Boxing Dreams

Vijender Singh was born in a Jat family on October 29, 1985. His hometown is Kaluwas village, which is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Bhiwani, Haryana, India. His father, Mahipal Singh Beniwal, worked as a bus driver. His mother was a homemaker. His father worked extra hours to earn more money for Vijender and his older brother Manoj's education.

Vijender went to primary school in Kaluwas and secondary school in Bhiwani. He later earned a bachelor's degree from Vaish College in Bhiwani. In 2011, he married Archana Singh. They have two sons named Abir Singh and Amrik Singh.

To help his family, Vijender decided to learn boxing. His older brother, Manoj, who was also a boxer, inspired him. After Manoj joined the Indian Army in 1998 using his boxing skills, he helped Vijender financially so he could keep training. Vijender's parents supported his passion for boxing, as they saw his talent. Boxing quickly became more than just a hobby; it became his career choice. He even tried modeling part-time to help pay for his training.

Singh looks up to famous boxers like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. He also admires the character Rocky Balboa from the Rocky movies.

Amateur Boxing Journey

Starting Out in Boxing

Vijender trained at the Bhiwani Boxing Club. There, a former national boxer and trainer named Jagdish Singh saw his amazing talent. Vijender first gained recognition when he won a state-level competition. He won a silver medal at his first sub-junior nationals in 1997. Then, he won his first gold medal at the 2000 Nationals. In 2003, he became the all-India youth boxing champion.

A big moment came in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games. Even though he was a junior boxer, Vijender tried out and was chosen for the event. He fought bravely and won a silver medal.

Olympics and Commonwealth Games

Vijender with actress Amrita Rao during a ramp walk on a modeling show.

Vijender competed in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics in the welterweight division. He lost to Mustafa Karagollu from Turkey. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he won against England's Neil Perkins in the semifinal. However, he lost to South Africa's Bongani Mwelase in the final, earning a silver medal.

He then moved up to the middleweight (75 kg) division for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. He won a bronze medal after losing to Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev in the semifinal. Vijender was not supposed to compete due to a back injury, but he recovered and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he trained with German boxers in Germany. He even won a gold medal in a tournament there. Vijender felt confident about his shape. He said that Indian boxers were no longer weak and that the world was starting to fear facing them.

Beijing Olympics and Top Ranking

Vijender at the opening of a gymnasium in Mumbai.

For the 2008 Olympics, Vijender trained in Patiala with other Indian boxers. The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) even filmed his likely opponents to help him prepare. Coaches studied the videos to understand other boxers' techniques.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he defeated Badou Jack of The Gambia. He then beat Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand to reach the quarterfinals. On August 20, 2008, he won against Carlos Góngora of Ecuador. This win guaranteed him a medal, making him the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal! He lost to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semifinals and shared a bronze medal. Vijender and wrestler Sushil Kumar received a grand welcome back in India.

In July 2009, Vijender, along with Sushil and boxer Mary Kom, received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. This is India's highest sporting honor. It was the first time three athletes received the award at once. Vijender and Kom were the first boxers to get this award.

Vijender also competed at the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He lost to Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan in the semifinal, earning a bronze medal. In September 2009, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced Vijender as the top-ranked boxer in the middleweight (75 kg) category.

Padma Shri and More Medals

The President, Pratibha Patil presenting the Arjuna Award to Vijender Singh in 2006

In January 2010, Vijender received the Padma Shri award for his great contributions to Indian sports. Later, he won a silver medal at the Champions of Champions boxing tournament in China. In March 2010, he won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Boxing Championship in New Delhi.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Vijender Singh lost to England's Anthony Ogogo in the semifinals. He was leading, but the referee gave him two penalties, which caused him to lose. The Indian Boxing Federation tried to appeal, but it was unsuccessful, so Singh received a bronze medal. He felt the penalties were unfair. One month later, in November, he won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, beating Uzbek champion Abbos Atoev.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won his first two fights but lost to Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinal. In the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Singh won a silver medal after losing to England's Antony Fowler in the final.

Professional Boxing Career

First Professional Fights

Vijender Singh became a professional boxer in 2015. He signed a deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions. On October 10, 2015, he had his first professional fight and won by TKO (Technical Knockout). He continued his winning streak, knocking out opponents like Dean Gillen and Samet Hyuseinov. By May 2016, he had won all six of his professional fights by knockout.

On July 7, 2016, Singh fought Australian Kerry Hope for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title in India. He won by a unanimous decision, ending his knockout streak but securing his seventh straight win. After this victory, the WBO ranked him among the top 10 super middleweight boxers.

Singh successfully defended his WBO Asia Pacific title against Francis Cheka. This fight was very popular, with 60 million viewers and 15,000 people watching live. In May 2017, Singh left Queensberry Promotions but continued with IOS Boxing Promotions.

In June 2017, the WBO approved a fight between Singh and China's Zulpikar Maimaitiali. The fight, called "Battleground Asia," took place on August 5, 2017, in Mumbai. Singh won the fight by unanimous decision, keeping his Asia Pacific title and winning the Oriental title. He even offered his new title back to Maimaitiali as a message of peace between India and China.

On December 23, 2017, Singh fought Ghanaian boxer Ernest Amuzu in Jaipur. Singh won by a dominant decision, improving his record to 10 wins and no losses.

Joining Top Rank

After not fighting in 2018, Singh signed a new contract with the American boxing company, Top Rank, on November 20, 2018.

Professional Boxing Record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
14	Win	13–1	Eliasu Sulley	KO	2 (6), 2:07	17 Aug 2022	Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium, Raipur, India
13	Loss	12–1	Artysh Lopsan	TKO	5 (8), 1:09	19 Mar 2021	Majestic Pride Casino, Goa, India
12	Win	12–0	Charles Adamu	UD	8	22 Nov 2019	Caesars Palace Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
11	Win	11–0	Mike Snider	KO	4 (8), 1:23	13 Jul 2019	Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US
10	Win	10–0	Ernest Amuzu	UD	10	23 Dec 2017	Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, Jaipur, India	Retained WBO Asia Pacific, and WBO Oriental super-middleweight titles
9	Win	9–0	Zulpikar Maimaitiali	UD	10	5 Aug 2017	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium, Mumbai, India	Retained WBO Asia Pacific super-middleweight title; Won WBO Oriental super-middleweight title
8	Win	8–0	Francis Cheka	TKO	3 (10), 1:36	17 Dec 2016	Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, India	Retained WBO Asia Pacific super-middleweight title
7	Win	7–0	Kerry Hope	UD	10	16 Jul 2016	Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, India	Won vacant WBO Asia Pacific super-middleweight title
6	Win	6–0	Andrzej Soldra	TKO	3 (8), 2:00	13 May 2016	Macron Stadium, Bolton, England
5	Win	5–0	Matiouze Royer	TKO	5 (6), 1:10	30 Apr 2016	Copper Box Arena, London, England
4	Win	4–0	Alexander Horvath	KO	3 (6), 1:02	12 Mar 2016	Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
3	Win	3–0	Samet Hyuseinov	TKO	2 (4), 0:35	19 Dec 2015	Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
2	Win	2–0	Dean Gillen	KO	1 (4), 3:06	7 Nov 2015	National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
1	Win	1–0	Sonny Whiting	TKO	3 (4), 2:08	10 Oct 2015	Manchester Arena, Manchester, England

Political Career

Vijender joined the Indian National Congress political party before the 2019 Indian general election. He ran for election in the South Delhi area but did not win.

In April 2024, before the 2024 Indian general election, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at their main office in New Delhi.

Film Appearances

Vijender Singh has also appeared in a few movies:

See Also

• Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Middleweight
• Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's middleweight