No stopping boxing star Vijender Singh, wins 11th successive pro bout to continue unbeaten run
Newark (USA), Jul 14: Indian boxing star Vijender Singh remained an unstoppable force, clinching a Technical Knockout over the more experienced Mike Snider on his debut in the US professional circuit here.
In what was to be an eight-round super middleweight contest on Saturday night (early Sunday morning in India), the 33-year-old from Haryana prevailed in four rounds for his 11th consecutive victory in the circuit.
"It was excellent getting back in the ring after a long time off. It's great to be here in the USA and to get the win. It was really exciting. I am really happy for my winning debut in USA," Vijender said after the bout.
The triumph came in the second minute of the fourth round when Vijender cornered Snider with a flurry of straight punches, prompting the referee to stop the bout in the Indian's favour.
"It took me about four rounds to get back in the swing of things. I expected it to take two or three rounds, but it took me four. I felt good," said Vijender.
This was Vijender's eighth knockout win in all.
The 38-year-old Snider was flailing his arms without any significant force in his punches for most of the bout. Vijender, on the other hand, was sharp as ever despite fighting his first bout in more than a year.
The Indian never looked threatened by the local favourite and thwarted his feeble attacks quite easily. Snider came into the fight with an overall record of 13-5-3.
Vijender, a former WBO Asia Pacific champion, recently fought and lost in the Indian general elections from the South Delhi seat.
Vijender would be aiming to compete in two more fights this year after signing up with Hall of Famer Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions.
"Top Rank has a bigger plan for me, and whatever they say is next, I'm fine with it," Vijender said.
Vijender's British trainer Lee Beard, who has been with the Indian ever since he turned pro in 2015, lauded his commitment.
"I am happy that after a long gap Vijender is finally back in good shape and action in the ring. His dedication helped him. We will now look forward to have bigger plans for him," he said.
Commenting on his defeat, Snider said, "Vijender is a good boxer and I believe I underestimated his experience and technique. It was his day and he won. I had never thought that I would lose in early rounds."
Vijender's India promoters IOS Boxing's Managing Director Neerav Tomar said bigger fights await the former Olympic medallist in the next few months.
And the winner is Vijender Singh.
— IOS Boxing (@IOSBoxing) July 14, 2019
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Vijender Singh remains undefeated by knocking out Michael Snider in 4th round in his US debut at Newark.
What a show @boxervijender.
You made whole India proud.
Keep up the good work.@trboxing@imneeravtomar
?#boxing #teamios #india pic.twitter.com/89SKIf2z4Q
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Decision on next Maharashtra CM to be taken 'in a day or two', says Shinde
New Delhi (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said he had "good and positive" discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda on the issue of government formation in the state.
Speaking to reporters here before leaving for Mumbai, Shinde said the decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra will be taken "in a day or two" in another meeting of the Mahayuti coalition in the state capital.
Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, met Shah and Nadda late Thursday to thrash out a power-sharing pact for the next government in Maharashtra after the BJP-led coalition registered a thumping majority in the Assembly elections.
"We will take a decision (on Maharashtra CM) in a day or two. We have held discussions, and the discussions will continue. You will get to know when we take a final decision," the outgoing chief minister said.
Shinde said that he would not be an obstacle in the government formation in the state and abide by the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.
"This 'ladka bhau' (beloved brother) designation is higher than anything else for me," he said.
Shinde said the meeting with Shah and Nadda was "good and positive".
"We all discussed the formation of government. There is good coordination between the allies, we are all very positive and we will honour the clear-cut mandate given to us by the people. We will form the government soon," he said.
"The meeting was good and positive. This was the first meeting. There will be another meeting of the Mahayuti in Mumbai," Shinde told reporters early Friday.
The Shiv Sena leader said the people of Maharashtra have re-elected them with a thumping majority and respecting the mandate is the topmost priority, not "running after posts".
Recovering from its Lok Sabha elections losses, the BJP bagged 132 Assembly seats, the highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti alliance. Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP also performed well. Sena won 57 while NCP bagged 41 seats.
The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback with the grand old party registering one of its worst performances in the Assembly polls as it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) won just 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray's (UBT) won 20 seats.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections were held on November 20, and the results were declared on November 23.
