JOIN US
The Olympic bronze medal-winning middleweight pugilist, who is seeded number one in the event, joined compatriot Dinesh Kumar (81kg) in the last-eight stage with a 4-2 win over Canadian Steve Rolls late on Tuesday night.
“It was low scoring and there were some tense moments but I am happy to have come out on top in the end,” Vijender said from Milan.
The Haryana boxer was trailing 0-1 in the opening round but drew from his experience and long reach to get the better of his rival.
“The scoring was tough but the support I got from my team, coaches and the fans here was enough to keep me focused,” he said.
Vijender landed a couple of straight punches to end the second round 2-1 up.
In the third round, Vijender increased his lead by a couple of more points and spent the final few seconds of the bout dodging his opponent with intelligent footwork and sharp jabs.
“I know I am on the verge of another historic first but I am not nervous and feeling quite confident about winning my next bout,” the 23-year-old world number two, who takes on Ukraine’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the last-eight stage on Wednesday night, said.
“I have never competed against this Sergiy. He comes from a country that has a good reputation internationally but I am confident about my game. I am in good form and feeling fit. So, I hope to be at the winning end.”
Dinesh bows out
Meanwhile Dinesh Kumar failed to make the medal round after being outclassed by Russian Artur Beterbiev in the light heavy weight quarterfinals today.
Dinesh was trailing 3-5 and had survived three standing counts before a fourth count just over a minute into the second round prompted the referee to award the bout to Beterbiev.