Vijender earns praise from Brit ace Amir Khan ahead of second pro bout

“Vijender is doing really well. He has won his professional debut. Obviously, the transition was going to be hard from an amateur to professional. But he has done it really well. He is fighting again next month. He has a great future ahead of him. We need more people like Vijender because having more people like him will promote boxing in India,” Khan, himself an Olympic medallist, told IBNLive.com.

“Vijender's act will promote pro boxing in India. Because most of these amateur boxers don’t know about pro boxing, so Vijender's foray will open the doors for them further. He has won one fight and he has the next one coming up. So yes, I really think he's going to promote it well and he will go a long, long way. In the next five years, I can see a big change in boxing in India.”

Khan, the 29-year-old Bolton-based boxer of Pakistan origin, won the WBA light welterweight title at the age of 22, and has an impressive professional record of 34-3 with titles across three weight divisions.

Asked if he would like to face Vijender in the future, Khan said it will be a “good fight.”

"It will be a good fight if it happens. His first couple of years are going to be quite easy. I think by the time I probably call it a day, that's when Vijender will probably come up to the level I am now. You don’t expect things. I wish him all the best. He is a good fighter. I will be always behind him if he needs any advice or help. I know he trains in England. My doors are always open for him," he said.

Khan, who is in India on a personal visit, plans to start a chain of academies in India.

“I am here for a friend's wedding but obviously I have many plans. I have my own Amir Khan foundation. I want to do something over here for the needy, for the people who need help. May be go to the villages, may be built something for them. Also my own boxing academy promotion. Next year hopefully we will build gyms. We are in talks at the moment, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. It's all about giving India a chance.

“Indian boxers need more support. They need more people to follow them, support them. With support you become a better fighter. Indian people need to get behind their boxers. The talent is here, you have Mary Kom, Vijender, but they need support. They are not getting that support as much as it's needed.”

Vijender Singh, an Olympic and World Championship medallist, knocked out Briton Sonny Whiting in his pro debut last month and faces English fireman, Dean Gillen in his second pro bout on Novemeber 7.