Vijender Singh's coach clarifies why he deserved to win the bout against Zulpikar Maimaitiali

What's the story?

Vijender Singh managed to win his bout against Zulpikar Maimaitiali for the dual title of WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental Champion by a hair's breadth, with the final score being 96-93, 95-94, 95-94. The result had a few boxing supporters criticising the decision as they thought that Zulpikar would have won the bout had his points not been deducted for technical fouls throughout the game.

Vijender's coach, however, came out to clear the air post the bout and said that the Indian would have won the bout regardless of Maimaitiali having points deducted.

In case you didn't know...

The bout for the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental championship went down to the wire with Zulpikar Maimaitiali having a few points deducted for having committed fouls throughout the fight. The end result was decided by a matter of 5 points, three of which went in Vijender's favour due to multiple fouls by Zulpikar.

Also read: Vijender Singh wins over the fans with heartwarming statement after win over Zulpikar Maimaitiali

The heart of the matter

Vijender Singh's coach Lee Beard spoke to the organisers after the bout and explained that Vijender would have won even if his opponent would not have received negative points. He said, "Vijender would've won the bout without the point deduction too".

Praising the 31-year old for his abilities in the ring, Beard added, "First couple of rounds went well, post which Vijender started to land it even cleaner!" He went on to say that, Vijender was a smart fighter and knew how to handle himself in the ring.

What's next?

The 31-year old Indian pugilist is the Oriental and Asia Pacific champion after his win against Zulpikar. As to what lies next for Vijender, a number of boxers have been calling out the 31-year old, who before the fight was the 10th best fighter in the world as per WBO rankings.

A bout with British boxer of Pakistani origin, Amir Khan has long been speculated while Indian origin Australian boxer, Pradeep Singh Suhag has also been repeatedly calling out Vijender on social media.

Author's take

Vijender Singh has made India proud on numerous occasions so far, even winning a medal at the Olympics. Suggesting that his medal was a result of his opponents mistakes would take the sheen off the victory a little. Lee Beard coming out to clear the air post a competitive match will lend some amount of credibility to the victor who came up against a difficult opponent.