Vijender eyeing Worlds for Olympic qualification

Mumbai: Star pugilist Vijender Singh wants to put up a good show at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in order to seal his place in the Indian squad for London Olympics.

"Ten boxers in each weight category will qualify during the World Championship. It is a very big event and over 800 boxers will participate. Let`s see how many (Indian) boxers can qualify," the 25-year-old Bhiwani-boxer told reporters on the sidelines of an event to announce the World Gaming Festival in Goa from September 23-26. "The preparations are good. We are all fit and not carrying any injuries. Hopefully, we will maintain it till the World Championships. The more boxers qualify, the more chances the country will have to win medals in the Olympics," he said. "The sooner we qualify, the more time we will have to prepare," he added. The World Boxing Championships will be held from September 22-October 10, 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Prior to the World Championships, the Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Vijender will participate in the world series games in the US and then move on to France for a training-cum-tournament. Saying that there will be pressure of expectations on the pugilists, Vijender asserted, "We need to take it in a positive way but we must not be overconfident." PTI