Indian boxer Vimal Punera opens up about his career, future plans and more

It was back in 2015 that Vimal Punera first stepped into the boxing ring for a match. He was just 10 days into boxing at that time, and his opponent: a national level boxing champion. 

To make matters more interesting, around 1000 people were in attendance for this showdown which happened in Dehradun, right next to the Vimal’s hometown of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand

Fast forward to the present, Vimal currently holds a professional record of 3-1 to his name and is sitting on a three-fight winning streak as well. The issues that were persisting in the Indian amateur scene back in 2015 is what forced Vimal to take a quick plunge into the professional scene.

Vimal Punera: When I started boxing in 2015, that time Indian Amateur Boxing Federation IABF was banned by the Olympic Committee, the National Championships were not taking place and it was very difficult to remain in amateur boxing in such a situation as BFI came into recognition in 2017. Then I decided that I would play professional boxing and moved to Mumbai.

He found some helping hands in Mumbai which soon landed him in some solid training camps as well.

Vimal Punera: I was helped by Captain Partho Das (President of Professional Boxing Commission - India, PBC) an extension of PBC International and PBC New Zealand. That's why I consider him my godfather. I was then sent to the Philippines in 2017 and trained there with 9x WBO & IBF World Champion Jerwin Ancajas & coached under Arlo Chavez who is an Asian Games medallist and a former Olympian.

Within no time, Vimal was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut. He was booked against Obedi Maguchi in 2018 at the ABA Stadium in Auckland and unfortunately for him, the fight ended in a TKO defeat.

However, being a professional, he understands that winning and losing are just two aspects of the game.

Vimal Punera: Defeat and victory are two aspects of a coin, I did lose to Obedi Maguchi considering the fear of fighting a boxer who has way better experience than a debut like me, but I did not give up & if you look at my fight videos this bout was advised to be stopped by the referee and my assistant Joey Nenoy also. But this defeat was a lesson for me and I never looked back after that and now Im the first Indian boxer in flyweight division and the hustle will never stop till I reach Global WBO or WBC Top 10 Ranked boxers in my division.

He piled up three back-to-back wins after this debut loss, with all three coming via stoppages and in the Marine Centre in Mumbai. Currently signed with Marine Pro boxing Promotions, Vimal has high regard for the promotion and feels that it could change the boxing landscape in India.

Vimal Punera: When I started Pro Boxing, Mr Devraj Das has played an important role in it who is also the promoter of Marine Pro Boxing Promotions & I am also in the role of a manager with them. Marine Pro Boxing is the leading boxing promoters in India and very soon Indian combat fans will see its PPV fights on their television just like in the US & UK.

Looking forward to the future, he has his eyes set on Obedi Maguchi so that he can avenge the debut loss that he suffered. He also feels that it would be his first step to making a mark on the international stage.

Vimal Punera: According to me I will fight again with Obidi Maguchi post lockdown in Auckland- New Zealand and defeating him will be my first step towards making a global name in the International boxing circuit. Although my mindset has been focused to train & fight towards the Top 5 position, it is just a matter of time.

The longer goal for Vimal, however, is the number one spot in his division and once things are back to normal, he will be back in the ring to work towards this goal.

Vimal Punera: We have only one thought in our mind which is to become world number one. In today’s time, we need to change our mindsets & think, work, train like Champions. That is the only way to reaching my destination.

Also Read: Kiren Rijiju: Boxing will play a huge role in making India Top-10 at Olympics

LEAVE A COMMENT

Please login to leave a comment

0 Comments