New Delhi: WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight champion Vijender Singh dedicated his title win on Saturday to boxing legend Muhammad Ali who breathed his last earlier this year.
“I want to dedicate my WBO win to Muhammad Ali,” an elated Vijender said.
Vijender Singh defeated Kerry Hope of Australia in a hard-fought bout to win the WBO Asia/Pacific Middleweight title at the Thyagraj Stadium here on Saturday evening. Faced with the most experienced and highly-rated opponent of his fledgling professional career, Vijender carved out a 98-92, 98-92, 100-90 verdict from the three judges to extend his record to seven wins from as many fights. Despite the unanimous decision, it was far from easy for Vijender in the first 10-round bout of his career.
A lot of celebrities including sports stars, revered politicians and thousands watched Vijender Singh lift the title high in the capital city.
The fight went on for tiring ten rounds. Vijender got slow as the fight went on, but depended more on power. Vijender, who has been stressing about the work he put in expecting longer bouts, managed to hold on till the end.
“It was my longest fight. I never thought that the fight will go this long (10 rounds). It’s OK. I tried for a knock out, it didn’t go that way. It was a good fight,” he said.
Vijender refused to compare winning the title with his Beijing Olympics medal win. “It’s a special win but winning an Olympic medal is totally different,” he said.
He thanked all his fans for their support and said that India has a huge market for professional boxing.
