A hero is expected to always triumph, never falter, and ultimately prevail against all odds.

For many of us, the image of a hero has been shaped by Bollywood icons like Rajnikanth and Sunny Deol, distorting the true meaning of heroism. To us, a hero is someone who performs miracles.

At the Beijing Olympics, Vijender Singh achieved just that by winning a bronze medal. Since then, every time he steps into the ring, there’s an expectation for him to be a hero once more. Failure is not an option for him.

But things have shifted since the Olympics. Vijender, now a well-known figure with appearances on the ramp and in advertisements, has been boxing only in between these engagements. His knockout in the first round of the World Boxing Championships raised questions about whether his focus had shifted, suggesting that the fame and fortune might have distracted him from his primary sport.

The reality is that four Indian boxers have already qualified for the Olympics, but Vijender is not among them. His world ranking has dropped to eighth, prompting doubts about whether he is still India’s premier boxer.

Vijender faced Emilio Correa Bayeux from Cuba in the first round—an unfortunate draw given Bayeux's status as the silver medalist from the Beijing Olympics. A hand injury had kept Bayeux out of action for a year, lowering his world ranking and leading to their early encounter.

It would be premature to claim that Vijender was unprepared physically or mentally. However, the bout revealed potential issues with his tactical approach. Bayeux's strategy involved guarding in the first two rounds, denying Vijender, a skilled counter-puncher, the opportunity to score easy points. This left Vijender uncertain whether to attack or defend, especially with AIBA's new scoring system that doesn’t reveal scores until the end of each round.

Just months before, Vijender won gold and was named ‘Best Boxer’ at the World Police Games, but even there, he struggled with the new scoring system introduced in April. The rule changes, including the switch from four rounds of two minutes to three rounds of three minutes, were intended to make bouts more engaging but have made life difficult for defensive fighters like Vijender. The new system complicates tracking scores and the extra minute per round challenges defensive strategies.

Vijender himself has voiced concerns about the new scoring system, stating that it leaves boxers confused about their standing and impacts their strategy.

Despite these setbacks, it’s not over for Vijender. He has time to adapt to the new rules before the next qualifying event—a continental championship in February-March 2012. He has previously qualified for the Olympics through a continental event, and with the right adjustments, he can reclaim his position as a top competitor. Our hero just needs to adapt and extend his performance by one more minute to return to his world-conquering self.