When Evander Holyfield came looking for Vijender

Bhiwani (Haryana):

Beijing gave Vijender Singh the most cherished moments of his fledgling career but the one thing the Olympic bronze medallist missed out there was a chance to meet American boxing legend Evander Holyfield, who came looking for him after his semifinal bout.

"Holyfield came looking for me after my semifinal loss (to Cuban Emilio Correa Bayeaux) but I had left the arena by then," Vijender, India's first Olympic medallist in boxing, told PTI here.

"Later I was told that he praised my performance, which was very nice of him and a great honour for me," the middle weight pugilist added.

A former world heavyweight champion, Holyfield, who was also seen at bantam weight boxer Akhil Kumar's quarterfinal bout against Moldovan Veaceslav Gojan, is now a recruiter for professional boxing in the USA.

Vijender, however, is not keen on turning professional.

"I did give it a thought some time back but I am not interested anymore. I am focused on amateur boxing and I have no plans to turn pro," he said.

The 22-year-old said he would cut down on his appearances in the National Championships to be in shape for international events.

"Since I have become a DSP with the Haryana government, I can't participate in the Nationals this year but even otherwise, I would not be seen very often in the national events," he revealed.