Indian boxing star Vijender Singh has dedicated his fourth successive professional triumph to the Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred in the Pathankot terror attack.
The 30-year-old from Haryana put up another dominating show to knock out Hungary's Alexander Horvath in under three rounds last night in what was to be a six-round contest.
"I dedicate this win to the martyrs of Indian Armed Forces during Jammu and Pathankot attacks," said Vijender after the bout.
The bout against Horvath was Vijender's first of the year after three successive knockout wins last year.
"I'm thrilled to get my fourth professional victory and excited for what the future holds for me. I'm happy to get another knockout win and really want to push on from here with some big performances is 2016. I was better prepared for my fight this time because this fight was postponed for almost a month," he said.
Talking about his opponent Horvath, who resorted to a bizarre routine of drinking snake blood before the bout, Vijender said by beating the Hungarian with ease, he has proved that while it's easy to claim big, it is always tough to deliver through actions.
"I have proved my hard work in the ring, I know in professional boxing your opponents always engage you in war of words and they give you a lot of challenges as Horvath did, but my punches replied to him.
"I am happy my professional career is progressing in a positive manner and all the hard work I am doing with my trainers is giving positive results," he said.
Vijender also thanked the Indian diaspora here for turning up in numbers to support him.
"The support I have received from everyone here in Liverpool and back home in India has been absolutely phenomenal. My phone hasn't stopped buzzing with messages of support from all around the world and I'm so grateful to all of my new fans," he said.
Commenting on Vijender's fourth win in a row, his trainer Lee Beard said, "Vijender was in control of the fight from early stage and enjoyed himself there. He took his time because he wanted to get some rounds under his belt, we've also been working on getting his feet and distance right to try and get himself into a position to land meaningful shots.
"He's also been practising his defence and blocking punches to let him work on the inside, which he did tonight against Horvath. I'm very pleased with the job he's done, but there is still much more to come."
