Vijender Singh knocks out Eliasu Sulley upon his return to professional boxing

Vijender Singh knocks out Eliasu Sulley upon his return to professional boxing

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On Wednesday, Beijing Olympics bronze medalist, Vijender Singh defeated Ghana's Eliasu Sulley via knockout to get back on the winning track. Vijender, who won the first boxing medals for India at the Olympics and the men's world championships, displayed his talent by outclassing Sulley.

In the second round of what was supposed to be a six-round fight, Vijender delivered the decisive shot, knocking the current West Africa Boxing Union Champion unconscious. The 36-year-old bronze medalist from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing defeated the Ghanian, who had a perfect knockout record up until that point, in just five minutes and seven seconds.

It is the pro boxer's 13th victory. His lone defeat on the professional level was in March of last year when he lost to Russia's Artysh Lopsan. "It's good to be back. We start our season with a victory. It wasn't easy to fight against (Sulley). Will return to the gym in a week and will fight again in December or January," Vijender said after the win.

Vijender exuded confidence as he entered the room while the late Sidhu Moose Wala's song "So High" played in the background. To the joy of the enthusiastic crowd, he effectively applied pressure to his opponent by using his long reach and straight jabs. He was significantly more skilled than Sulley in terms of technical ability, but he relied on a combination of punches to finish the job.

He switched to counterattacking in the second round, giving his opponent an opportunity to attack. Sulley was sent to the canvas and received his first count of the evening because he was unable to fend off Vijender's assault. Then, as Sulley grasped the rope, the Bhiwani boxer landed a string of straight jabs, hooks, and uppercuts that gave him the chills. The competition came to an end after one more behind-the-back hook.

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