Vijender is Asian champ

NEW DELHI: Chaos and confusion looked like possible themes for the biggest boxing night in the country until Indian boxing star and showman Vijender Singh walked in with a swagger for the biggest professional fight of his career and electrified a packed Thyagaraj Stadium here on Saturday. The fight itself turned out to be worth its billing well-contested and exciting all the way.

Vijender was up against his most experienced opponent so far in Australia's Kerry Hop and the Indian looked a bit circumspect in the first round, studying his rival's strengths and weaknesses. Vijender took some time to sink his teeth into the fight and once he did that, he was unstoppable.

It went the distance, all 10 rounds of it, but Vijender prevailed on points by a unanimous decision -98-92, 98-92, 100-90 -to register his seventh pro victory in as many fights. By winning this WBO Asia Pacific Championship super middleweight title, Vijender now gets a direct entry into world top 15 and has become eligible for a world title fight.

The Bhiwani boxer, who had six knockouts from as many fights before Saturday night, got into some serious business in the second round throwing limited yet accurate punches at his Australian opponent's face. Hope, who entered the ring as an underdog, looked for some long range punches but the Indian looked superior.

As the fight, both boxers upped the ante and Vijender, despite his best efforts, was not going to get another knockout. Vijender was fighting his first 10-round bout while his opponent is used to the long haul but both looked to be tiring towards the later rounds, even as they kept trading punches. Hope went for some desperate ones in the last round, but Vijender stayed away from harm's way. He knew he had done enough to seal it. Even before the winner was officially announced, Vijender's trainer Lee took a victory lap with his ward on his shoulders. The fans cheered on, enjoying it to the hilt.

“It's not about myself, it's about my nation, my country,” Vijender said after getting the title belt. “This comes after a lot of hard work put in by me, my trainer, my team. I thank my coach, my promoter and my team who have done a fantastic job. I also thank all the fans, the celebrities and sportspersons who have come to watch my bout today. The countdown has just begun,” he said.

In another title fight between Siddharth Verma and Haryana's Dilbagh Thakran for the India IBC super welterweight championship title, the crowd applauded every good move by the boxers.

Stay updated with the latest from IPL Auction 2025, including the final squads of all 10 teams – MI, CSK, RCB, GT, RR, KKR, DC, PBKS, SRH, and LSG. Don't miss the latest updates on our Live Cricket Score page.