Indian boxer duo Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar are set for their professional debut on August 5 in Mumbai. Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist and World Cup bronze-medallist Akhil Kumar will take on experienced Australian Ty Gilchrist in Junior Welterweight (63kg) while World Cup and Asian Championships bronze-medallist Jitender Kumar will take on relatively new opponent Thanet in Lightweight (61kg).
Gilchrist made his debut in the year 2010 and has fought 13 bouts since then with a total of 6 wins, including 2 KOs. On fighting Gilchrist, Akhil said, “Yes, he is more experienced than me, but that does not make any difference to me.”
Both Akhil and Jitender turned professional in 2016 after they signed for IOS Entertainment, the company which brought Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh into the professional fold. Quite excited for making his professional debut, Jitender said, “Debut in pro boxing will be a new beginning for me, I am working really hard to improve my technique and gain physical fitness.”
