We had earlier reported that Arun Vijay, who is currently shooting for director Naveen's Agni Siragugal alongside Vijay Antony, will be playing a professional boxer in a sports drama titled boxer, to be directed by debutant director Vivek. Ritika Singh, who rose to fame with her portrayal of a boxer in the 2016 film Irudhi Suttru, will be playing a boxer-turned-sports journalist in the film.

Arun Vijay, who had been training in regular boxing for the past couple of months under the guidance of stunt choreographer Peter Hein, has reportedly left for Vietnam to learn mixed martial arts (MMA). The actor will be training in Lien Phong Training Center,  Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam, over the next few weeks.

Director Vivek had earlier mentioned to us that Boxer, while avoiding the usual cliches associated with the rags to riches underdog story, will explore the kinds of pressure an established boxer faces. "The film will be about how he confronts his own demons and pushes the bar ahead," he had said.

Boxer, with music by Leon James and cinematography by  Markus A Lujungbern (London), is expected to go on floors in June.