Mumbai: Vijender Singh continued his unbeaten run in boxing as he beat his Chinese opponent Zulpikar Maimaitiali in Mumbai to record his ninth consecutive victory in his professional boxing career.
The contest between the two was even as Zulpikar didn’t let Vijender have it easy against him. But the Indian’s brilliance handed him the victory by a very small margin and with this win, he not only retained his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title but also won the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight title.
Before the match, Vijender had commented on Zulpikar saying, “Chinese products don’t last long.” But he had to eat his own words as after the match, he admitted that Zulpikar put up a good show. “I didn’t expect him to fight so well and last the distance,” said Vijender, after the win.
The 23-year old Zulpikar used his left hand to good effect and mostly dealt with uppercuts but he was penalized for an unsporting shot at Vijender, which turned out to be one of the deciding factors of the outcome of the match.
For Vijender, his height and reach came to his aid as his punches had a greater effect on the Chinese, whose blows wasn’t as effective.
He was also guilty of hitting Vijender below the belt and as many as five low blows were hit by him, which prompted the referee to warn him.
The two battled it out in 10 intense rounds and it was only in the third round that Zulpikar tried to stamp his authority over the bout as he chased Vijender, whose fast feet movement helped him escape punches from the Chinese.
The Indian however taught Zulpikar a lesson when his straight right hand followed by a left uppercut landed right on the face of the 23-year old Chinese.
But as the bout progressed, Zulpikar’s quick legs came to his aid as Vijender started to look tired.
Zulpikar hit Vijender with an uppercut in the final round which left the Indian with a bloodied nose. But Vijender used his experience and carried on with the bout, which he ultimately won 96-93, 95-94, 95-94.
However despite having contested a gruel encounter, both these players hugged each other as Zulpikar made Vijender wear his cap at the end of the match.
However, Vijender opted to return back the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Title to ensure peace between both India and China in the border areas.
“I don’t want this title because I don’t want tension at the border (between India and China). I want to dedicate this win to India-China friendship. There is some tension at the border, need peace,” he said.
For over three months, the soldiers of both these countries have been locked in a standoff near the Sikkim border. But gestures like these from champions like Vijender ensure that peace and friendship can be achieved at the end, no matter now bitter the rivalry is.