Offers start coming in

And given his good looks, more moolah is likely to come his way. In fact, companies are already making a beeline to rope him in as their brand ambassador. “Yes, there are offers. Suddenly a lot of them. They are in talks with my agents. Let’s see,” he says.

And Bollywood? “Out of the question,” he says, matter of factly.

Coming back to the future plans, Vijender, who’s a middleweight (75kg) boxer, says he wants to move a category up. In fact, he did the same after the Athens Olympics, where he crashed out in the first round. “There’s a possibility of me going a division up for the London Olympics. I will decide only after a few months.

“For now, I just need a break. I think I’ll go for a long six-month break. I have been working infinitely hard for almost a year now. For the past fortnight, I haven’t even slept properly,” he says with a weary smile.

It’s then that you get to know, it’s not a black eye you’d spotted, but the dark circles as a result of acute sleep deprivation.

Filmstar looks, rock-star status and still, he remains down to earth. Appearances can, at times, be deceptive.