India's boxing superstar Vijender Singh's much-awaited return to the ring will be against Russian boxer Artysh Lopsan, promoters IOS Boxing Promotions announced on Friday during a press conference.
The first-of-its-kind fight in India will be held on the rooftop deck of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship in Goa on March 19. Lopsan, 26, has a decent record in his young career as a professional boxer. In six bouts, the Russian has defeated four, including two knockouts, while registering one defeat and one draw.
Vijender, on the other hand, is unbeaten throughout his professional boxing career, carrying a record of 12-0 that includes eight knockouts. The Olympic bronze medallist defeated Ghana's former Commonwealth Champion Charles Adamu in Dubai to claim his 12th successive win in November 2019.
Vijender headlines the main event for the night while fans will also witness six other undercard fights bearing 12 top Indian fighters. The show will be held for three hours.
Speaking to the reporters, Vijender seemed confident about the fight and expects a tough one against his Russian opponent. He said, "It's going to be a good fight. I was eagerly waiting for this for more than a year. I watched Lopsan's videos and he's a good fighter. But I'm ready to knock him out like I did to my 8 previous opponents. I am ready to finish the fight in the early rounds and it would be a spectacle to do it in front of my people in Goa."
On the other hand, Lopsan also looks assured to end Vijender's unbeaten streak, "Vijender is a good fighter but I'm here to end his unbeaten streak. I'm ready and it's going to be a great fight in Goa. What better way to end his streak than knocking him down in front of his audience. I've trained hard for this fight and I'm rearing to go", he said.
The fight night begins with a bantamweight bout between Mohammed Shamim and Pralhad Panda, followed by Mathiyalagan Dhiravidam versus Umesh Chavan in the super flyweight division. The third fight features Ramandeep Kaur against Rinky Inder Kishore in light flyweight category and the fourth fight is between Ashish Ahlawat and Dharmender Grewal (cruiserweight).
Sabari J is pitted against Amey Nitin in the lightweight category bout while Mahesh Digari will be up against Kuldeep Dhanda in super lightweight category. Seasoned Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat versus Sandeep Kumar (Super Welterweight) will be the co-main event for the night followed by Vijender's much-awaited return to the ring. The bout goes beyond the traditional norms of a regular professional match and offers viewers the glitz and glamour of Vegas-style boxing event.
Following social distancing guidelines, the promoters have decided to fill just 50 per cent of the tickets at the venue and only a limited 150 high-end tickets are available on sale. The tickets have been priced from Rs 10, 000 to Rs 20, 000 in different categories. They range from Gold Rs 10,000, Platinum Rs 15,000, and Stage Rs 20,000.
The fight will be shown live on BookMyShow.Com who are also the OTT partner for the event. Sony Network will telecast the show in the following week. It will also be for the first time in India that a fight sport superstar like Vijender will headline the OTT platforms on a pay per view and fans in India can witness the Las Vegas style boxing on rooftop of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship at just Rs 99.
( With inputs from ANI )
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