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Young Delhi boxer Md Azahar was crowned the WBC India champion in the featherweight division after he won the bout against Dharamvir Singh by unanimous decision. Azahar defeated Dharamvir in 32 minutes after the judges scored the fight 79-72, 76-75, and 79-72 in Azahar's favour on Sunday night.
Although the 25-year-old pugilist lost the first round on all three judges’ cards, he made a strong comeback in the next seven rounds to take down Dharamvir. Azahar was also the better technical fighter before a partisan crowd. With this win, Azahar now has a record of five wins and as many losses with four knockouts to his name.
"I was comfortable, just sticking to doing what I do best," Azahar said. "The game plan was to hit and not get hit. I fought a good smart fight. He couldn't hit me with any of his best shots." Dharamvir, on the other hand, has a record of seven wins and four losses. His previous loss had come over three years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indian Boxing Council-sanctioned fight night witnessed seven other fights. In an exciting four-round cruiserweight contest, Jaskaran Singh from Punjab won a points decision over debutante compatriot Harsamardeep Singh.
Middleweight Shiva won a close six-round bout against Karanjeet Singh. Shiva was making a comeback after two years and looked rusty in the early rounds. Karanjeet, despite his record of four losses, looked comfortable and even took the second and third rounds. But Shiva hung on. The final scores were 58-56, 58-56, and 58-56.
