An enticing battle awaits
In probably his toughest bout till date, India’s Vijender Singh will square off against Francis Cheka. This title defense against the vastly experienced Tanzanian will take place on Saturday. Here we take you through the much anticipated Vijender vs Cheka!
Vijender had captured the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title in July by defeating Australian Kerry Hope in a gruelling 10-round encounter. Since this bout amidst his home crowd at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi, Vijender is yet to be challenged. However, Vijender vs Cheka promises to be a different affair altogether.
All set for Vijender vs Cheka
Cheka is the reigning World Boxing Federation(WBF) Super Middleweight Champion and the current African champion. He has won 32 of his 43 bouts, 17 of them via knockout. Since his debut in 2000, Cheka has amassed an incredible 16 years in professional boxing compared to Vijender’s six months.
Coming to the positive side, the Indian enjoys a distinct height and weight advantage over Cheka. At the pre-weigh in, Vijender was 76 kilograms while his Tanzanian rival clocked in 74.7.
Where and when to catch Vijender’s bout
Vijender has been the pride of Indian boxing. Hailing from Haryana, he was the first Indian boxer to bring a Olympic medal home. He clinched the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was also the first to win a professional title after turning pro.
He gets a chance to create another huge milestone when he takes on Cheka in a short while. Catch all the action on Saturday from 7 PM at Star Sports1 and HD1. Live streaming will also be aired on hotstar.com
Other action on the card
In other action, five undercard bouts featuring Indian professional boxers will also be a part of the event. In the welterweight division, Pardeep Khera will take on Scott Edwards of Australia while Deepak Tanwar will clash against Indonesia’s Sutriyono Bara Boys.
Kuldeep Dhanda against Egy Rozten of Indonesia and Rajesh Kumar taking on Ugandan boxer Mubaraka Sseguya will be the two bouts in the Lightweight (61kg) category. Dharmender Grewal will challenge Abasi Kyobe of Uganda in the Cruiserweight (95kg) category.
