Francis Cheka had a taste of the Capital’s notorious traffic on Tuesday, as it delayed the Tanzanian pro’s face-off with Vijender Singh before their WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight boxing title bout.
Vijender Singh, who won the belt six months ago by outplaying Australian Kerry Hope, was the first to engage in a verbal duel, saying he didn’t care about his opponent’s reputation of being a former world champion.
“Saturday will decide his fate, I am ready to tame the Tanzanian lion in the ring.”
Some of Francis Cheka’s aggression was lost in translation as he doesn’t speak English.
“The Indian boxer has already lost the fight as he dare not look into my eyes. I’m here to win,” he said and virtually tossed the belt before the small gathering.
The bout at the Thyagaraj Stadium will be Vijender’s eighth on the pro boxing circuit. He looks strong on paper as his opponent doesn’t have an encouraging record on foreign soil, winning most of his bouts at home.
During the face-off, Cheka gestured by showing five fingers, hinting the 10-round bout was too long, and he would take just five to knock out his opponent.
{{/usCountry}}During the face-off, Cheka gestured by showing five fingers, hinting the 10-round bout was too long, and he would take just five to knock out his opponent.
{{/usCountry}}Mocking him, Vijender said, “He is like a tourist and people on holiday shouldn’t think of ten rounds in the ring.”
Perhaps someone had whispered that Cheka is already fascinated by Delhi’s shopping malls, as he went window shopping ahead of the face-off.