Round 9 – Kerry is down and he knows that. He tries to attack straight away but Vijender does not let him get away with anything. In customary style, as it has been in this match, Singh attacks on the counter and Kerry is looking a bit rattled here. He is tried to get into Vijender’s ribs here but the Indian is aware and is attacking almost equally. WOW!! Vijender corners Kerry and gives him a taste of the big right hand. Round ends. Looks like Vijender has edged it again i
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Round 8 - Things begins with both men dancing around the ring but neither of them are able to get hold of the other. Kerry lands a terrific punch on Vijender. He attacks again but gets punched. Both men are looking weak in defence now. Tired a bit.Vijender gets one more before the bell. He has the edge again.
Round 7 – Kerry tries to go on the front foot but pays the price as Vijender is quick to make use of an opening. The Australian fights back with two excellent punches. Both men are being conservative now and this round has been even stevens till now. Vijender lands two more punches and he looks to have taken this round as well.
Round 6 – The sixth round begins with both men trying to attack but end up holding each other. Vijender deals two blows, one with the left and another with the right. He follows it up with two more. Kerry is looking a bit tired and his movement has become slower. A bout like this is bound to take a toll, especially when your opponent is taller and heavier. Vijender lands another punch to Kerry’ s face but the Australian gets one back. Huge roar by the crowd as Vijender strikes punches one after the other. What a round. Goes to Vijender.
Round 5 - Vijender starts off the round well and lands the big right on Hope but the Australian pulls one back. This is getting better with each round and Kerry’s pressure is relentless. He is certainly the more energetic but Vijender has been the more intelligent one. Attacking his opponent when he is opne. Kerry does well to evade a big right hand from Singh and then land one himself. Vijender lands a terrific punch to follow that. Phenomenal boxing here. The round ends with both men being separated by the referee.
Round 4 – Kerry starts off the round strongly and works Vijender around the ring. He gets a couple of punches bang on but suddenly Vijender attacks and corner Kerry. Both men fall down. This is has been a good comeback by Vijender after Kerry started the round really well. Kerry is relentless but pays the price for leaving open a gap for SIngh, who pounces immediately. Kerry ends the round with an excellent punch and manages to evade a blow directed at him. Kerry has the edge.
Round 3 – Both men are looking aggressive now and there is no conservatism. This round looks more level as Kerry is attacking much better and putting Vijender under pressure. The referee has separated them twice. WOW!! Kerry lands a wonderful punch on Vijender and he is pushung him on the backoot here. Vijender gets one back towards the round. Kerry has the edge though. This round should go to the Australian
Round 2 – Kerry starts off round 2 on the front foot but Vijender, cautious as ever attacks on the counter again. OOOOO!!! He slips and falls down but nothing happens. He lands one more right hand jab to Hope’s face. Singh clearly looking good here. Hope attacks his torso but Vijender deals yet another blow. He is dealing in punches and smiles. He has clearly taken round 2. One more blow to end round two.
Round 1 – Vijender looks a bit defensive as Kerry looks to attack but Singh deals the first blow. The crowd roars on as Kerry tries to corner Vijender. Kerry is looking good here and moving really well. Singh jabs to his midrif but Hope’s defense is solid. Kerry is moving reall fast but Vijender has the punches under his belt. He is looking to counter attack and is quite solid in defence. He lands one more.
National anthems of Australia and India are played. Huge Huge roar and we are ready to go. Let the fight begin!!!!!!
Vijender Singh enters the arena to a huge roar and he looks in great shape. The crowd support is great and he is bound to be spurred on by it. He weighed in at 75.7 kg, a bit higher than his opponent. The AV played before his arrival is just as impressive as him. Singh is truly looking like a king and we are ready to go tonight. What a welcome this is. Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni would get this kind of reception. Singh is King the song plays as well. VIJENDER VIJENDER VIJENDER are the chants.
Kerry Hope enters the stadium and there is a loud roar . He is not new to fighting big bouts and looks in his zone. He said yesterday that he was not here to form the numbers and will be giving Vijender a run for his money. The fighter weighed in 74.9 kg yesterday and looks quite menacing. People have whipped out their cameras and are taking videos. The stadium has errupted. Imagine what will happen when Vijender comes on.
The bout is ready to be underway as both boxers are set to come out. This has all the makings of a cracker and we hope it does not disappoint. Stay tuned as the main event for tonight, WBO Asia Pacific Boxing Championship, will begin anytome soon.
We are almost there now and the main event of the night is here. The stadium is packed and the noise is deafening. Not long before Vijender Singh will be throwing punches at Kerry Hope. But before that, we have some performances.Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa sings his popular track Patola to make a really loud crowd even louder.
Rahul Gandhi is here and he has been welcomed to chants of Modi Modi. The stadium is in splits here and the roar gets louder as Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh is here as well. The last round of the fight between Thakran and Verma going on. We are just moments away from the beginning of the Vijender fight. Stunning atmosphere but organisation could have been better. Verma wins the bout and the title.
Vijay Goel, the newly appointed Indian Sports Minister, has just entered the arena as the fight between Thakran and Verma moves into the third round. A lot of jabs and punches have been thrown and both are looking good. Siddharth, in particular, has been stunning tonight and threw a lot of punches, kind of like no holds barred, in the fifth round.
Look who is here now. Indian batting maverick Virender Sehwag has just walked in with his son to a huge roar and the crowd is chanting Viru Viru. Nothing surprising as the Nawab of Najafgarh is loved in New Delhi. Dilbagh Thakran will now take on Siddharth Verma for the India IBC Super Welterweight Championship in an eight round fight. This is serious stuff folks.
The boxers from Mary Kom’s foundation, Boichong and Nengnehat, are amazingly energetic and they are doing quite well. However, it is a little disapointing to see interviews being carried out while their fight is going on. Neverthelss, the night is alive and kicking.
Mary Kom has been quite brave with her words as she apologises to the crowd present about not qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Massive disappointment but brave of her to bring it up in front of a packed house. Chak De India playing and the complex has gone into a collective frenzy. Two female boxers from the Mary Kom Boxing Foundation are up next for the fight.
Sanjeev Sahota broke into a jig after his win over Vikas Lohan and now Charu Sharma has welcomed Mary Kom into the ring. She gets a roaring welcome and quite deservedly. Mary Kom is joined by Suresh Raina. This is turning to be a great night and the crowds are loving it. In other news, Raghu Ram and Rajeev Ram of MTV Roadies fame are also present here.
Vijender has a huge following in India and is loved by the masses and that is reflecting on the crowd here. Not only this, they seem to be loving the idea of professional boxing and that seems to be a great sign for the future.
We are gearing up nicely for Vijender’s fight and it is great to see a packed crowd in New Delhi much before the main event. To see so many people turn up for professional boxing’s first major title bout in the country and a large number of Indian flags are being waved. Excellent atmosphere!!!!
This stadium is getting packed and the excitement is building towards the main event. A lot of dignitaries, celebrities and famous personalities are set to attend this fight. Indian boxer Mary Kom is already in the house and so is Indian cricketer Suresh Raina. Scroll down to know the results of the bouts that have taken place till now.
Good evening friends and welcome to the live coverage of the WBO Asia Pacific Championship fight between India’s Vijender Singh and Australia’s Kerry Hope from the Thyagraj Sports Complex in New Delhi. There has been a lot of buzz around this fight and it has been deemed as the homecoming of Vijender, who has fought all his bouts till now in the United Kingdom. He will be up against Wales-born Australian fighter Kerry Hope, who has comes with an experience of 10 years in professional boxing.
This is a big night for professional boxing in India and the audience will get a taste of what the sport is like. The presence of Vijender Singh makes it even better and is fitting to make professional boxing popular in the country. A true hero in every sense of the word, Vijender has a cracking story that features an Olympic medal, controversy, glamour, blood, sweat and a lot of hard work.
After straying a bit from his path from 2012 to 2015, which he personally disagrees with, Vijender decided to shift base to United Kingdom for training. Ever since he has gone there, Vijender looks like a man changed and looking to becoming a serious boxer. He has won all of six fights by knockout and his last bout was against Andrzej Soldra in May, 2016.
His opponent, Kerry Hope, is a 34-year-old boxer who has been fighting professionally for more than 10 years and has 30 bouts under his belt. Hope is an extraordinarily calm man with a mean side to him, which is reflected when he is in the ring. He fought his first bout against Brian Coleman and won it. However, despite his experience, Kerry has not fought for over a year and there is a chance that he might be coming into this game a bit rusty.
PHOTOS: Sparks fly as Vijender Singh and Kerry Hope weigh in for WBO Asia Pacific Championship
He certainly does not think so but in a game that requires as much endurance as boxing, being match fit is imperative. His last fight was against Poomarase Yoohanngoh and Hope won it by unanimous decision. Both boxers were present at the weigh in yesterday and exchanged some not so nice words, taking pot shots at each other. While Kerry said he did not think Vijender was not fit enough, the Indian said he would take the Australian for Delhi darshan after beating him in the game.
Here are thre results for the fights that have taken place till now:
Super Bantamweight category - Asif Khan beat Sachin by Unanimous Decision
International Super Bantamweight Indo Thai 6 rounds – Sunil Siwach beat Natdanai Pengthong by KO
Heavyweight Inter State 6 rounds – Sumit Rangi beat Naveen Rao by Unanimous Decision
Light Heavyweight Inter State 6 rounds – Gaganpreet Sharma beat Deepak Sheoran by Unanimous Decision
Super Welterweight 6 rounds – Cameron Hammond beat Davdarshan by Unanimous Decision
International Lightweight Indo Thai Contest 4 rounds – Kuldeep Dhanda beat Vachayan Khamon by Unanimous Decision
International Super Lightweight 4 rounds – Sanjeev Sahota beat Vikas Lohan by Unanimous Decision
Mary Kom Foundation Special Bout – Nengnehat beat Boichong
India IBC Super Welterweight Championship – Siddharth Verma beat Dilbagh Thakran by Unanimous Decision
