Boxer Nishant Dev to make debut as professional

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New Delhi: World Championships (2023) bronze medal-winning boxer and Paris Olympian Nishant Dev has determined to show skilled. The 24-year-old has signed up with promoter Matchroom Boxing and is scheduled to debut at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on January 25 as an undercard to the tremendous middleweight bout between Steve Nelson and Diego Pacheco.

Nishant Dev will make his skilled debut on January 25. (Getty Photos)

Dev, who misplaced his shut 71kg quarter-final bout to the skilled Marco Alonso Verde Alvarez of Mexico on the Paris Olympics, stated on Instagram: “My goal is to become India’s first-ever world professional boxing champion and I know I have a whole nation behind me to help me achieve this.”

“I enjoyed my time as an amateur boxer and competed at the very highest level in the Olympics and winning a World Championship medal. But now, I’m ready for this new chapter in my career. The journey to the World Championship starts in Las Vegas on January 25th!”

The twice nationwide champion is being skilled by former skilled boxer Ronald Simms in Las Vegas. Dev’s opponent for his first professional bout is but to be introduced.

The foray of Indian boxers into skilled ranks just isn’t new, though it’s a bit stunning that Dev, who’s but to make a reputation for himself by successful a significant occasion, has made this transfer. Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh, Mandeep Jangra, and Neeraj Goyat took that route.

Vijender constructed a 13-1 win-loss document towards unheralded opponents and final fought round two-and-a half years in the past. Jangra received the World Boxing Federation’s tremendous featherweight world title final November. A 2014 Commonwealth Video games silver medallist, Jangra has a 11-1 professional document.

Goyat, essentially the most skilled Indian pugilist within the professional circuit with 25 bouts to his identify, has a 19-4-2 Win-Loss-Draw document. His final bout was a win by unanimous choice over Whindersson Nunes in November. Three-time Olympian Vikas Krishan has three professional bouts to his identify. He turned professional earlier than returning to the newbie ranks earlier than the 2012 London Video games. In contrast to Dev, all of the distinguished Indian boxers loved success at newbie stage earlier than turning professional.

Boxing Federation of India (BFI) officers although claimed they have been neither consulted nor knowledgeable by Dev of his choice, however hinted that boxing’s uncertainty as an newbie sport might have performed a task. “It’s his choice. We don’t endorse it because he is a great talent and a potential Olympic medallist. Even though Olympics is not part of the initial programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he would have had enough opportunities to win prestigious medals for India. That said, IOC is yet to take a final call on boxing’s future for the LA Games,” a senior BFI official stated.

“Look at the amount of money the government spent on grooming him, and now that he was shaping up nicely for this Olympics cycle, he has decided to walk away. I think he made the move a little too early,” the official stated.

That stated, Dev, who idolises US boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., can nonetheless characterize India on the Olympics as IOC guidelines permit professionals to return to newbie boxing and compete within the Video games.