England pay Lagaan as Vijender Singh & company triumph

Electrifying is the word which describes the whole atmosphere at the Lagaan Cup Fight Night at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Tuesday.

In the first-of-its-kind concept, Indian boxers clinched the bilateral trophy winning three out of four bouts in the second-leg of the series.

The Fight Night had everything that takes to make it a success — star boxers, celebrities, politicians and other sports persons, including the Indian hockey, rugby and shooting team.

In the first match, Dilbagh Singh thrashed his English counterpart Ryan Ascot 12-5 in the 69kg weight category. Dilbagh was flawless in his approach and made Ascot struggle for every point. Similar was the scene during star boxer Vijender’s fight. In spite of getting hurt, the Bhiwani lad made Frank Buglioni retire when the score read 13-4.

Manpreet Singh was the only Indian to lose a match when he went down 6-11 to Daniel Price in the 91kg weight category.
Jai Bhagwan also finished his fight on a winning note. He won the 60kg category fight in the second round itself, when England’s Antonio Counihan retired after getting hurt.

But more than the bouts, it was the concept that won many hearts. It was for the first time that boxing matches were organised at a public venue.

“It was a good fight and a different experience for all of us. We are happy that we won the inaugural series and hope that we keep on winning it in the future,” said Vijender after the match.

While talking about the preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Vijender said that the boxers are doing well and are aiming for gold in their own backyard.

Results: 60kg: Jai Bhagwan 4-1 Antonio Counihan; 91kg: Manpreet Singh 6-11 Daniel Price; 69kg: Dilbagh Singh 12-5 Ryan Ascot; 75kg: Vijender Singh 13-4 Frank Buglioni