Poker companies in India continue their attempts to prove the legitimacy of the game in their homeland, this time with online poker room PokerBaazi signing the Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Vijender Singh.
Poker is a game.
Poker is a sport.
Poker is a skill.
How could 52-cards and a case full of chips cause so much consternation among humans? It’s unreal. The world is screwed up. So many things to fix. And yet we still find time to argue about the merits of the flop, turn and river.
India is one such place.
A fractured country, when it comes to creating laws, there are those that believe poker is a bona fide game of skill and there are those that think if you play a hand you’ll turn into Jeffrey Dahmer and eat one.
In a bid to convince the doubters otherwise, entities that want poker to flourish in the second most populous region on earth are turning to respected celebrities to fly the flag.
People like Vijender Singh.
The 32-year-old married man and father is the current WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champ and WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champ (I bet you never knew those titles existed).
A product of Bhiwani Boxing Club, Singh had an impressive amateur career that ended up with him becoming the first person from India to win an Olympic boxing medal finishing in the lowest podium spot in Beijing, 2008.
Seven years later, and Singh cut a deal with Queensberry Promotions, and turned pro. He is undefeated in ten fights, seven of which ended with his opponent failing to beat the count.
This week, Singh signed for PokerBaazi.
“[Sing’s] reputation as a serious sportsperson and champion will help us in promoting poker as a serious sport that only flourishes on sheer skill and talent. We are looking forward to a long-term association with Vijender Singh,” said PokerBaazi founder Navkiran Singh.
Press reports suggest PokerBaazi will use Singh to connect with the Hindu speaking states, and he has a decent following.
3.2m Twitter followers.
2m Facebook followers.
112,000 Instagram followers.
Ok, so he needs to sack his Instagram manager, but other than that, the guy is flying. And if you read through some of his tweets, it’s clear he has a lot of national pride and respect for his countrymen and women.
Other Respected Fellows and Pugilists
Singh isn’t the first celebrity/sports star signed up to represent a poker company based in India. The Poker Sports League (PSL) recently hired Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand to give their brand a tinge of respectability. Anuj Gupta, founder & director of the online poker room Adda52.com, was one of the brains behind that move.
And Singh isn’t the only boxer currently jabbing his mug onto a poker brand. Before partypoker gained mass muscle, they redecorated their entire online poker site after signing the former world champ, Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch. And Floyd Mayweather recently partnered with Playtrex to front their social poker game Wild Poker.
