Vijender assures India of first world boxing medal

Olympic medalist Vijender Kumar has assured India of its first men’s world championship boxing medal.
The middleweight beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine 12:4 on points in Milan in the 75-kg category quarter-finals on Wednesday to guarantee at least a bronze.

“It is indeed exhilarating to have had the honor of breaking two barriers consecutively for India in boxing,” Vijender said in a statement issued Thursday.

The 23-year-old Vijender won India their first Olympic boxing medal in Beijing last year with a bronze performance and was awarded his country’s highest sporting prize for that achievement. The top seed will next meet Uzbek Abbos Atoev in the semi-finals Friday.

– By Sanjay Rajan and Ossian Shine l Reuters