The Hindu : Sport / Boxing : Vijender is now World No.1

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Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009
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Vijender is now World No.1

It’s a fantastic feeling and would motivate me to do better: Vijender
Dinesh Kumar held on to his sixth spot with 1550 points

New Delhi: Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh has achieved yet another first for Indian boxing by becoming the world’s top-ranked pugilist in the middleweight (75kg) category.

The 23-year-old Bhiwani boxer, who won India’s maiden World Championship medal in Milan earlier this month, has 2700 points and is ranked 600 points higher than the reigning champion Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan.

Atoev, to whom Vijender lost in the World semifinals, is third in the list behind Olympic silver medallist Emilio Correa Bayeux (2500) in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) list updated after the Milan event.

“I am obviously elated at being ranked the highest in the world. It’s a fantastic feeling and would motivate me to do better in future events,” said Vijender.

Among the other Indians, former world youth champion Thokchom Nanao Singh has slipped three places to eighth, with 1400 points, in the light flyweight (48kg) category.

Nanao, a silver medallist in this year’s Asian Championships in China, lost in the second round of the World Championships.

Olympian Akhil Kumar, whose World Championships campaign was cut short in the first round itself due to a wrist injury, has gone down a rung to 10th in the featherweight (57kg) category with 1050 points.

Fellow Olympian Jitender Kumar (54kg) also lost some ground because of his first-round exit in Milan and dropped a place to 14th with 838 points.

Suranjoy Singh was 17th in the flyweight (51kg) category rankings.

World Championship quarterfinalist Dinesh Kumar held on to his sixth spot with 1550 points in the lightweight (81kg) category. — PTI

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