New Delhi: The Vijender Singh juggernaut rolled on without a glitch as the Indian boxing star took less than 10 minutes to successfully defend his WBO Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title with an emphatic technical knockout (TKO) win over Tanzania’s Francis Cheka here Saturday. The win took Vijender’s record to 8-0 in pro boxing
Vijender landed the winning blow in the third round of what was to be a 10-round contest to leave on the former World Champion Cheka dazed and a packed Thyagraj Stadium delirious.
“I trained hard in Manchester for two months for this. I thank all my coaches for the effort they put in. Cheka talked so much but I believed in my punch power, and I have done it again,” Vijender said after the bout.
Celebrities including boxer MC Mary Kom, cricketer Virender Sehwag, wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil Kumar and celebrity yoga guru Baba Ramdev adorned the front rows to watch Vijender fight.
Walking in to the now trademark tune of ‘Singh is King’, Vijender had to contend with Cheka who was quick off the blocks. Vijender weathered the early storm and then landed a telling uppercut to rattle Cheka. From then on there was no looking back.
The second round was a one-sided affair and in the third Cheka struggled to keep his balance owing to his shorter reach. By then the writing was clear on the wall for the Tanzanian.
PTI