Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer, Vijender Kumar, speaks to Garima Verma about his preparations for World C'ships.

He could be seen walking down the ramp in designer attire or sharing the screen space with big names of the Indian film industry but when it comes to his priorities, Vijender Kumar has got his heart and mind in place - a boxing ring.

With the prestigious World Championships just a month away, all that is occupying the Olympic bronze medallist's mind right now is practice.

"India have never won a medal in the World Championships, so we are training hard to break that jinx and come home with at least a couple of medals," Vijender said.

No leniency

India will send nine pugilists to take part in the event, which is scheduled to be held in Milan from September 1 to 12. With around 700 boxers from 100 countries to fight it among themselves for the coveted honours, Vijender assured that the Indian contingent will give it its best shot and take no one lightly.

"For us, every day is a new day and we take every bout as our final bout. So, we will treat every opponent with the same respect," the 23-year-old said when asked who could be the major threat for India.

The dashing boxer is determined to put up a brilliant show in the Italian city, more so with his name being recommended for the esteemed Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, on which he and wrestler Sushil Kumar missed out last year.

End of a wait

"This time I have full hope that we will receive the awards," Vijender said. But does that compensate for the disregard they met with earlier?

"I wouldn't say that we were ignored but that was an error on some people's part," he said in his ever-optimistic tone, adding, "Der aaye durust aye (Better late than never)."

Apart from showing his mettle in a boxing ring, Vijender has been proving his finesse on screen as well. And, he had no issues in revealing his experience on the sets of Dus Ka Dum, where he shared the stage with host Salman Khan and statemate Mallika Sherawat.

Only for fun

"It was a great experience. I had a lot of fun. Salman and Mallika are both nice people to talk to," he said.

"And, I and Salman played quite a few pranks on Mallika," he disclosed with a laughter.

If some took the show appearance as a prelude to Vijender's entry into the entertainment sector, be warned. "Now people want me to do modelling and act. But when I did it once I was accused of not focussing on my boxing," he pointed out. "How can I do everything together? Now in one time I can do only one thing and right now it's boxing and boxing alone," he said firmly.

What about liaisons with the B-world in future? "There is hardly any time in the near future. There are so many big events like World Championships, then Commonwealth Boxing Championships and then Commonwealth Games, so, all those are ruled out," he said.

Vijender, an avid footballer, also brushed up on one of his growing skills on the football field. "I have improved a lot and practice regularly. I will be the next one to take Ronaldo's place!" he said.