LORD OF THE RING
Vijender beats Hope to take WBO Asia- Pacific super- middleweight title
Short- arm jabs, quick reflexes, lightening fast punches and a good defensive strategy. Vijender Singh had it all as he outpunched his toughest opponent thus far, Kerry Hope of Australia, for the WBO Asia Pacific supermiddleweight title at teh Thyagaraja Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.
The three judges delivered a unanimous decision in the Indian’s favour98- 92, 98- 92, 100- 90 keeping his professional record intact. It was Vijender’s seventh win in as many professional bouts.
Vijender got an early taste of what it was going to be like when he walked down the ramp for his first professional bout at home as the huge crowd welcomed their favourite boxer with a deafening roar. The 30- year- old was cautious initially with Hope attacking. But Hope’s offence did not pay off as Vijender landed his first few punches on target. Quick reflexes and agile footwork helped the Indian avoid quite a few punches thrown at him by the Australian.
Vijender’s every punch evoked loud cheers and chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” as it was all Vijender in the first three rounds.
In the fourth and the fifth rounds, former European champion Hope paid a few back to the Beijing Olympic bronze medallist with Vijender still keeping his lead.
Vijender pulled the momentum back in his favour in the sixth and the
seventh rounds with a few quick but controlled punches. Vijender was
quick to pounce on every opportunity whenever Hope had a lapse in concentration. Earlier, the under- cards set the tone for the marquee SinghHope battle, putting on display some real intent and fighting spirit.
To start off the evening in style, Asif Khan punched his way past Sachin Siwan in the super lightweight division registering a unanimous decision. Next up was the sixround international super bantamweight Indo- Thai contest between Sunil Siwach and Natdanai Pengthong of Thailand.
The super heavyweight ( 91+ kg) bout between Delhi’s Naveen Rao and
Haryana’s Sumit Rangi followed. The 6’ 4” Rao could not cash ion on his physical advantage as he was lethargic throughout the fight and this gave the Haryana boy the edge over his 126- kg opponent. The six- round fight was reduced to just three as Rangi was chosen the winner on technical superiority.
hereafter, Punjab’s Gaganpreet Sharma brushed aside Deepak Sheoran breaking local hearts in the light heavyweight inter- state contest.