Published: Jul 17, 2016, 11:02 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 17, 2016, 11:02 AM (IST)
MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among many to extend their wishes for boxer Vijender Singh on his win over Kerry Hope, which earned him the WBO Asia Pacific Title. Vijender took seven rounds to defeat his opponent. The win means he is undefeated in all his seven bouts since he turned professional. Facing 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. The boxer had received support before the match from Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, both of them wishing him luck for the match. ALSO READ: Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina wish Vijender Singh
Many congratulations #VijenderSingh ,Thok Daala Tau !
Australia ka Hope fuss in front of our Tope @boxervijender pic.twitter.com/fZ3rNa4aE6— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 16, 2016
Saw a full mch of boxing after yrs.thks @boxervijender for mkg INDIA proud,it’s just the start ur hrd wrk,dedication and sacrifice paid off
— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) July 16, 2016
Congratulations @boxervijender for a hard fought and well deserved win. It was yet another display of immense skill, strength & stamina.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 16, 2016
Congratulations @boxervijender You deserve every bit of the WBO title Great sporting news for India.
Made the nation proud #VijenderSingh— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 17, 2016
Congratulations @boxervijender on winning WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship title. Boom boom those punches
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 17, 2016
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all d love that you have showered upon me.Hope today is a beginning of something special
— Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) July 16, 2016
Both boxers were a bit cagey in the opening round, trying to gauge each other. Vijender did manage to penetrate his opponent’s defence once with a powerful blow that clearly shook up the Australian. The second round clearly belonged to Vijender, who made good use of his long reach to evade Hope’s punches while going for power-packed body shots.
Hope did better in the third round, and managed to penetrate Vijender’s defence a couple of times with his fast right jabs. The Australian gradually started gaining the upper hand as the bout wore on, repeatedly outfoxing Vijender with his superior footwork and movement.
He dominated the fourth and fifth rounds and although Vijender managed to land a few solid blows of his own, the local favourite was clearly having the worse of it. The Indian managed to put Hope in trouble towards the end of the sixth round, with a couple of bodyshots and a jab to the face.
The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist seemed to tire a bit as the fight wore on. Hope continued to move around with speed and vigour, exhibiting impressive technique and footwork while Vijender was comparatively less mobile in the later rounds, relying more on his power to counter his opponent. But despite taking some hits to his body, he managed to hold his own till the end.
– With inputs from IANS
