Vijender Singh vs Sonny Whiting Highlights: Indian Ace Wins Big on Professional Debut
Vijender Singh beat Sonny Whiting by technical knockout to win his professional debut match. Catch all the highlights here.
Vijender Singh announced his arrival on the pro circuit with a technical knockout win over Sonny Whiting. Follow highlights here (All Times in IST). (All the Latest Updates From Boxing)
22:54 It's all over! The referee has stopped the fight and Vijender wins the match via a technical knockout in the 3rd round.
22:43 Vijender's coach telling him to box nice and straight in the 3rd round.
22:41 Vijender throwing a solid left and right punch on Sonny. Another good round for him and he is clearly consolidating his advantage.
22:39 It's a good first round for Vijender as the bell rings.
22:36 Vijender Singh attacks with a combination of punches as Sonny Whiting responds with an offensive approach.
22:34 The match is underway as the first of four rounds starts. Each round is of three minutes.
22:33 Vijender comes into the ring wearing a tri-colour robe with loud Punjabi music in the background. He is wearing tri-colour shorts too.
22:18 Not much to choose from between the two fighters. Vijender may be making his professional debut, but Sonny has only fought three matches at this level.
22:01 Not too many people in the stands as the time nears for the fighters to make their way into the ring.
21:51 Vijender and Sonny have been engaged in a war of words. Now they have a chance to translate that into action over four rounds.
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21:44 Preparations underway ahead of the start of the match in Manchester.
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21:25 British boxer Amir Khan is confident that Vijender shall do a good job on his debut. "He should be good for four rounds today," he said.
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Preview:
The four-round bout between Vijender and Whiting can redefine the future of Indian boxing. The 29-year-old Indian, who has been a world No. 1 in the middle-weight division, will be up against a 26-year-old rival who has a 2-1 win-loss record in professional bouts.(Vijender Calm and Composed)
An amateur till last year, Vijender's foray into the professional world is typical of a robust Haryana lad who loves to throw challenges to the world. Be it boxing or drugs controversies or Bollywood films, Vijender has always been in the news. A winning start in Manchester will make him a hero.
But professional boxing is gruesome. There is no headgear, sees relentless bloody battles and there are no standing counts like amateur boxing. Vijender has worked hard for over a month under coach Lee Beard and is a confident man. So is Whiting.(Trainer Impressed by Vijender)
In the run-up to Saturday night's bout, the boxers traded verbal punches, Muhammad Ali style.
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"I have heard lots of comments about my opponent Sonny Whiting but will definitely give him reply through my punches. It's time to implement new techniques and hard work I have done in the past one month here in Manchester," said Vijender.
Whiting shot back saying: "I eagerly waiting to take on Vijender. I don't care if Vijender is a superstar or a regular boxer, the result will be the same, I am going to smash him up."
Vijender is not the first Indian boxer to fight a professional bout. The likes of Gurcharan Singh and Pradeep Sihag having been a regular in the circuit earlier but never generated the hype like Vijender has.(Vijender Ready for Action)
Whiting defeated Aaron Robinson on points in his last professional fight in Kent in March this year. In 2014, he made a good start, scoring a Technical Knockout (TKO) against James Child in Essex. Whiting, however, lost to Dee Mitchell on points in his second fight.