21 March,2021 07:10 AM IST | Panaji | Ashwin Ferro
Vijender Singh of India defends himself against Russia’s Artysh Lopsan at Panaji, Goa, on Friday
He may have been battered and bruised after his defeat to Russian Artysh Lopsan atop the Majestic Pride Casino ship here on Friday night but Vijender Singh is not low on confidence.
He not only promised to come back harder but also insisted that he would beat Lopsan in a re-match in his own backyard. "It was a good fight. He is a young and strong fighter, but I will surely come back stronger and beat him in Moscow," Vijender said, moments after going down to Lopsan's flurry of punches in the fifth round of the eight-rounder, ending his 12-0 unbeaten professional streak.
On Friday, Vijender, 35, began cautiously with obviously a bigger reputation to defend against a comparatively lesser experienced opponent, who was just six pro fights old.
The comparatively taller Lopsan, 26, however, started aggressively and landed some hard right hands across the Indian's face, leading to a cut near his left eye brow. In the second round, however, the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist came back strongly and landed a combination of punches that hurt the Russian.
Carrying on his success from the second round, Vijender went in for the kill in Round 3, but it backfired as the Indian spent a bit too much energy in the bargain while Lopsan simply waited back and defended. Round 4 saw Vijender go down on his knees after Lopsan opened up another cut across his face with a combination of punches. The referee stepped in, gave Vijender a standing count and treated his bleeding wounds. But one minute and nine seconds into the fifth round, Lopsan caught Vijender's face again with his relentless jabs. This time, the Indian went down on his knees and shook his head, indicating he could not continue the fight.
IOS Boxing Promotions boss and fight promoter Neerav Tomar, stood by his dejected fighter and reassured him that he could come back harder the next time.
It is learnt that Lopsan was so determined to win this fight that he trained hard till 1 am on the eve of the fight. "My strategy against Vijender worked. I want to thank everyone who have arranged this bout. It was a wonderful experience. I'm glad to break his unbeaten record," said the young Russian, who was swarmed by fans for selfies as he posed with his winner's belt.
