Pride of India Vijender Singh smashes his way to win WBO Asia Pacific title

However, all eyes were on the big fight of the night which saw an undefeated Vijender Singh take on the experienced Aussie Kerry Hope.

In the first round, Vijender made a solid start, albeit a bit defensive one. In the initial stages, both the boxers measured each others' strength and weakness, without giving away too much away to their opponent. Hope came out with a much more positive intent in the second round, and Vijender's defensive skills were put to test. The Australian was seen dancing around the ring with a swagger that very few of Vijender's previous opponents had showed in the ring. It was evident that the Aussie was faster on his legs, while Vijender was mostly relying on his big reach. However, the Indian pugilist did manage to land a couple of punches to Hope's gut, and another on his temple, and seemingly moved ahead on points.

The Indian showed a lot more positive intent in the fourth round, and after a couple of gentle left jabs, he took Hope to the corner of the net at one point and landed a series of punches on him. One of which disfigured Hope's left eye. However, the Australian managed to land a punch on Vijender's face in the dying moments, which ended an even round.

In the final round, Vijender played with a confidence of someone who knew he was ahead on points, while Hope seemed a bit too desperate. Vijender managed to block and dodge his opponent's attacks, and as the final bell rang, he raised his arm in delight. All the three judges voted for Vijender unanimously with scores of 98-92, 98-92, 100-90. It was a historic moment, and even Vijender, who has made a name for being an eloquent speaker, was left short of words. He broke down in the ring, and all he could utter was, "thank you".