Vijender Singh Beniwal was born on 29 October 1985 and is an Indian professional boxer and politician.
38 Facts About Vijender Singh
2.
Vijender Singh won bronze medals at the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as well as silver medals at the 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, all in the middleweight division.
3.
In June 2015, Vijender Singh turned professional and signed a multi-year agreement with Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment.
4.
Vijender Singh was born in a Jat family on 29 October 1985 in Kaluwas village, 5 kilometres from Bhiwani, Haryana.
5.
Vijender Singh's father, Mahipal Singh Beniwal, is a bus driver with the Haryana Roadways, while his mother is a homemaker.
6.
Vijender Singh's father drove extra hours for overtime pay, for Vijender and his elder brother Manoj's education.
7.
Vijender Singh was inspired by his elder brother Manoj, a former boxer himself, to join the sport of boxing.
8.
Vijender Singh's parents decided to not pressurise him to continue his studies, as they felt that he had a talent and passion for boxing.
9.
Vijender Singh cites the likes of boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, boxing promoter Don King, and the character Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series among his influences.
10.
Vijender Singh trained at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, where former national-level boxer and Jagdish Singh recognised his talent.
11.
The first recognition for Vijender Singh came when he won a bout in the state level competition.
12.
Vijender Singh won a silver medal in his first sub-junior nationals in 1997 and went on to bag his first gold medal at the 2000 Nationals.
13.
Vijender Singh cites the likes boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, boxing promoter Don King, and Rocky character Rocky Balbao among his influences.
14.
At The President's Cup boxing tournament, which is touted as a dress rehearsal for the Olympic games, Vijender Singh defeated Artayev in a quarterfinal bout.
15.
Kom and Vijender Singh were the first boxers to get the award which carried prize money of Rs 750,000 and a citation.
16.
Vijender Singh later took up a job with the Haryana Police department which paid him Rs 14,000 per month.
17.
The third round was evenly contested with both fighters scoring on a couple of occasions, but Vijender Singh had already lost the match.
18.
In January 2010, Vijender Singh was awarded the Padma Shri for outstanding contribution to Indian sports.
19.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Vijender Singh was beaten by England's Anthony Ogogo in the semi-finals.
20.
Vijender Singh turned professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment.
21.
On 10 October 2015 Vijender Singh fought his first professional boxing match.
22.
On 21 March 2016 Vijender Singh knocked out Hungary's Alexander Horvath in round 3 on the Flanagan-Matthews undercard.
23.
Vijender Singh won via 3rd-round TKO, knocking down Soldra in round 5 to mark his 6th professional win in a row, all coming by way of knockout.
24.
On 7 July 2016 Vijender Singh defeated Australian Kerry Hope for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title on his home soil in India, marking his seventh consecutive win, this time by unanimous decision, thus ending his 6 fight knockout streak.
25.
Vijender Singh successfully defended his title in an impressive technical knockout win over Cheka in the 3rd round.
26.
Vijender Singh retained his Asia Pacific title and won the Oriential title after the fight went to the scorecards after 10 rounds.
27.
Vijender Singh retained his regional titles with a dominant 10-round decision win.
28.
However, on 17 May 2011, Vijender married Archana Singh, a software engineer with an MBA degree, from Delhi.
29.
Vijender Singh was approached by Percept Picture Company to act as a guide and counsellor to participants taking part in the Indian version of the boxing reality show The Contender, which follows a group of boxers competing with each other in a single elimination style-competition.
30.
Vijender Singh agreed despite being still contractually obligated with Infinity Optimal Solutions, a celebrity management firm who dealt with his media appearances and ramp walks as a male model.
31.
Vijender Singh appeared on Bollywood actor Salman Khan's game show 10 Ka Dum.
32.
Vijender Singh is credited by the critics and the media for bringing the sport of boxing back into the limelight in India.
33.
Vijender Singh's rise to the top rank of the boxing world has been an inspiration for the younger generation and has brought more aspirants and followers, to the sport.
34.
Vijender Singh was one of the judges on MTV India's reality TV show Roadies X2.
35.
However, on 17 May 2011, Vijender married Archana Singh, a software engineer with an MBA degree, from Delhi.
36.
Vijender Singh made his Bollywood debut as an actor in film Fugly, released on 13 June 2014.
37.
However, NADA refused to test Vijender Singh claiming protocol did not allow it to test an athlete for that drug when he was out of competition.
38.
Vijender Singh joined the Indian National Congress on the eve of the 2019 Indian general election and unsuccessfully contested the South Delhi constituency.