He managed to place India on to the world map of boxing and now he’s bringing the sport into your living room. Vijendra Singh, the Olympic bronze medalist and the latest poster boy of sports, is all set to host The Contender, a television reality show based on boxing.

He has recently returned after having bagged another bronze in the World Boxing Championship in Milan and, though he’s complaining of aches and pains, he beams with pride for having done the country proud and kept his word. “The media had been critical of my public and television appearances and endorsements, but I always said that I won’t compromise on my training. I am happy to have kept my word,” he smiles.

But Singh is in no mood to party; instead he’s spending time working on the format of the show, along with Bulldog Media & Entertainment and Percept Picture Company, the producers of the show. “I want to take time off and celebrate my win but this, I feel, is more important to promote boxing in India. I have made a public figure of myself so that the sport comes to the fore and The Contender offers a great platform,” he says.

The Contender, an Indian franchise of the American show, by Mark Burnett Productions, currently on air on AXN, is hugely popular in the US with Sylvestor Stallone and ex-boxer Sugar Ray Leonard as hosts. The original selects all of 16 participants from across the North, East, West and South zones of the country and then pits them against one-another.

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