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Vijender Singh’s walkout song – “Mundiya To Bachke Rahe” was quite befitting as the Haryana pugilist was certainly the guy to watch out for in his professional boxing debut. The Manchester Arena bore witness to his skills as he masterfully disposed of hometown boy Sonny Whiting with a third round Technical Knockout.
Leading up to the fight, Vijender was quite laconic and stated that he’d address Whiting’s verbal barbs with his fists. And he kept up his word. In a one-sided contest, Vijender looked almost flawless as he controlled the fight and finished with opponent with a lethal combination.
The first round saw Vijender take the center of the ring and be the aggressor, as the Brit attempted to lure his foe into a rope-a-dope and tire him. Vijender wasn’t having it though, as he patiently picked his shots and won the round.
Whiting tried to stick to his strategy in the second round, to his misfortune. Vijender, visible more confident, was more fluid in this round, bludgeoning the 28-year-old Brit with hard shots to the body. Whiting’s hands found their mark as well, but too sparingly. The second round as well went to the Indian Olympic medallist.
Vijender looked imperious in the third round, as he stalked Whiting and punished him for being stuck to the ropes. The referee docked a point from Whiting for an illegal headbutt, and that seemed to galvanize Vijender, as he put a full stop to the fight soon. Walking forward with Whiting predictably on the ropes, Vijender unleashed a murderous straight right-left hook combo that shook the ground beneath Whiting. Another right hand was enough to spur the referee into stopping the fight, as the Brit was slumped against the ropes.
The raising of Vijender Singh’s hand capped off one of Indian sports’ proudest moments, as he became the first Indian to win a professional boxing bout under a major banner. We hope to look back on this day as the beginning of the career of India’s first professional boxing World Champion.
