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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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
