Aiman leaves local crowd pleased as punch

KUALA LUMPUR: Boxer Aiman Abu Bakar raised local cheers when he defeated Indonesian Abdi Teger on TKO (technical knockout) in an undercard featherweight contest at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.

The 25-year-old, who has been training in the Philippines for the past year, was delighted to have prevailed in his first professional box- ing fight at home yesterday.

“After the weigh-in yesterday, I felt so motivated to fight at home,” said Aiman.

“I was prepared for this fight. This was the biggest fight for me as it is an undercard bout for Manny Pacquiao.

“I checked out my opponent, see what he got at first. I stuck to my jabs and I think he backed off when he felt my power.

“I figured him out after the second round and I just continued what I was doing,” said Aiman, who kept his cool even when his opponent went for a headbutt.

Aiman had a cut above his right eye but shrugged it off.

“This is boxing. It happens,” said Aiman, who sees the victory as a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the future.

“I aim for bigger and better fights. Hopefully, I’ll get a slot to fight in Las Vegas, United States, as it is the holy grail of boxing.”

Another Malaysian boxer Theena Thayalan walked away with a split draw decision after a six-round welterweight clash against India’s Siddharth Varma.