Vijender Singh changed the face of Indian boxing two years back. But just how immense this change is was evident on Monday. Empty stadiums and lack of sponsors are things of the past when Vijender takes centrestage.
Amidst the humdrum at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, the Bhiwani boxer landed lethal blows on Selemani Kidunda that ended the Tanzanian’s misery in the 75kg semifinals of the XXX Commonwealth Boxing Championship. Vijender won 10-1. Perhaps Kidunda might dread fighting Vijender again. Such was the impact of one of the punches that the bout ended with Kidunda suffering an injury to the head.
Happy with his bout, Vijender looked fresh when he spoke to the media. “I will be gunning for gold on Wednesday. I yearn for it each time I enter the ring.”
Vijender also spoke about the crowd support. “It is such a good feeling to see your countrymen cheer you. The feeling cannot be described in words,” the 24-year-old said. “It might not be a big crowd but at least they are coming now.”
Vijender also hoped the tickets were given free to the public. “At the end of the day, it is the call of the marketing people. But at the same time, I feel the sport is still catching up and the turnout could be better if the tickets were given out for free,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Vijender also hoped the tickets were given free to the public. “At the end of the day, it is the call of the marketing people. But at the same time, I feel the sport is still catching up and the turnout could be better if the tickets were given out for free,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}