WBO Asia Pacific title: Vijender Singh records superb knockout win over Francis Cheka

Vijender Singh retains his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title with a third round technical knockout win over Francis Cheka. That was stupendous fighting from Vijender, who looked in complete control of the bout. His strong punches was too much for Cheka as Vijender's powerful jab and hook in the third round was the last action of the night. 

With this win, Vijender has maintained his unbeaten streak in pro boxing, winning his eighth straight bout. 

10:07: Third round

Cheka is looking for a huge shot, but Vijender's defence stands firm. He evades most of Cheka's shots, though Vijender receives some. Straight face shot from Vijender, who is in his groove now, attacking Cheka, and the Tanzanian is on the defensive, and the referee stops the bout as the Indian lands some strong shots including that powerful jab. THE BOUT IS OVER, AND THIS IS ANOTHER KNOCKOUT WIN FOR VIJENDER SINGH IN THE THIRD ROUND.

10:02: Second round

Vijender is using his reach to good advantage. Cheka comes forward to strike, but he is caught by Vijender with a good shot. Vijender lands a straight right on Cheka's face, and he goes beserk, follows that with some strong body blows. That is Vijender's round for sure.

9:58: First Round

There is loud cheer of 'Vijender, VIjender, Vijender' ahead of the bout from the home crowd. Cheka has started strongly right from the first minute. No solid shots from either in the initial minute. Big swing from Cheka and he misses it. Vijender is defensive, but strikes now. Not too strong, but finishes with a strong right. 

9:52: National anthem of both Tanzania and India are played ahead of the mega bout. Now, the clash is just about to get underway.

9:49: After Cheka arrives inside the ring, Vijender Singh walks onto the ring with Singh is Kinng music track in the background. 

9:43: The ring announcer says, are you ready, New Delhi? I want to say, are you ready, my blog followers? 

9:40: Besides Baba Ramdev, there are a large number of VIPs attending the event. Some of them are Yogeshwar Dutt, Sushil Kumar, Mary Kom, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar, Kiren Rijiju, Vijay Goel, Manish Sisodia, Bhupinder Hooda, Raghu Ram among others. 

9:32: Ahead of the bout, there is Baba Ramdev, yoga expert, one of the A-listers for the bout, giving fitness tips. 

9:28: Vijender SIngh vs Francis Cheka next. This is the fight, which everyone has come to watch. Can the Indian maintain his unbeaten streak or will Cheka hand Vijender his first defeat? We shall see. 

9:24: RESULT is awaited. It is going to be close, and Kharera loses the bout as the referee lifts Edwards' hands as the Australian clinches it via unanimous points.  

9:21: Kharera is taken to the corner by Edwards, and both boxers exchange blows and the Indian throws a strong punch. They do not have much energy left. They are so tired that both boxers are failing to stay on their feet. Kharera has thrown some good punches while Edwards has also done the same. The Australian does not seem to be happy with the referee after the bell is rung, signifying the end of sixth round. 

9:16: There is great energy in the contest despite their energy on the lower side. Edwards has throws some strong punches, and blows are flying from both the boxers, several misses. Kharera finishes on a high with quality boxing as he manages to hit Edwards more than once on the face. The fifth round is over. 

9:11: t is Edwards all the way in the fourth round, and the Indian was on the receiving end as the Australian looked in complete control, throwing some splendid blows to Kharera's face. Boxing at its best. 

9:07: Kharera had a great start to the third round, and got into the groove, but it was Edwards, who got into his own, finished the round on a high. The ref could have stopped the bout, may be, the bell saved Kharera. 

9:02: Kharera has looked solid, landing some solid blows and also cornered his opponent with some good shots. He connects with a strong upper cut, but both the boxers finish strong. 

8:58: What a start. Both boxers start on a positive note. Plenty of body shots from Edwards. The Australian has looked strong in the opening round, and he is looking for a clean shot. Close first round as Kharera also got some goot shots on Edwards' face.

8:50: NEXT BOUT: Pardeep Kharera VS Scott Edwards in welterweight contest. This is a six round contest. 

8:44: ONCE AGAIN, Indian boxer wins the bout. Dhanda maintains his unbeaten streak. 

8:41: Rozten is just hanging on for dear life. Dhanda has been impressive in the fourt round, and the Indian boxer seems to have clinched it. 

8:38: The first two minutes of the third round was close, but Dhanda nearlly knocked out his opponent with a huge left, which sent Rozten to the ropes.

8:34: Dhanda goes beserk and strikes a number of punches. That is classic from Dhanda, who was going for the kill in the first minute of the second round. Both the boxers are on the floor, neither can control themselves. This has been the best undercard bout so far. 

8:30: It is Rozten, who starts well with some good shots. We are just in the first minute, and this contest might be close and Dhanda connects a straight jab to the face. Dhanda strikes several punches, finishes with a body shot. Rozten also connects some. This has been a close contest so far. 

8:21: Next Up: Kuldeep Dhanda VS Egy Rozten

8:18: Dharmender is still unbeaten as a pro boxer, as he wins via unanimous decision after a strong final round. 

8:11: Dharmender has good quick hands, and after a decent second round, the third one might not have been spectacular, but the Indian did land a straight right on his face. Kyobe is all about defence and a bit of offence when he finds the opening. 

8:03: The first round goes Dharmender's way and that was some good boxing from the Indian, who did land some big punches. Kyobe was more or less in the backfoot while Dharmender finished on a high.

7:59: Dharmender gets a huge ovation as the Punjabi star walks, in fact half runs to the ring. So eager? The fight is about to get underway. It is a heavyweight affair for four rounds. 

7:50: Next up will be Dharmender Grewal vs Abasi Kyobe.

7:48: Deepak emerges victorious as the referee stops play with the Indian dominating the second round. That was super qucik for the Indian. 

7:43: The Indian boxer had a better initial round, making his long reach count, striking some good blows left and right. Sutriyono goes down on the floor with a body shot from Deepak, who finishes well.

7:40: So, we get underway with Deepak Tanwar (India) vs Sutriyono (Indonesia). This is only going to a four round bout, each round of three minutes. I will bring the match details here. Stay tuned.

7:27: Remember, Vijender's clash with Cheka is the main fight of the night. So, they will not fight immediately, there will be some undercard bouts before the mega fight. And hey, there are some boxers from India in the undercard, so, there you see, the night is only getting interesting.

7: 15: I am pretty much intrigued by this picture below. I find some story there, do you? Look at Cheka, there is an air of confidence in him as if to say, I will steal the show, and kind of saying, it is going to be a cakewalk. Vijender, on the other hand, is calm and composed. His body language, says don't worry, I am focused to retain my title. SOME PICTURES SAY A THOUSAND WORDS. IN THAT CASE WHAT DOES THIS IMAGE SAY??? ..Tweet me here with your answers.

7pm: For those who have not heard much about Francis Cheka, here are some basic facts you should know about the boxer.

Francis Cheka: DOB: April 15, 1982. Height: 1.79 m. Weight: 74.7 - last scheduled weight ahead of the bout.Total bouts: 43. Rounds: 300

Do I need to provide you with Vijender's details? I know, you guys know it all, but just in case, you forgot. 

Vijender Singh: DOB: October 29, 1985: Height: 1.82 m. Weight: 76 kg - last scheduled weight ahead of the bout. Total bouts: 7.Rounds: 27

6:30: Vijender, this man, is quite a boxer when he gets his rhythm right. Not in the bracket of elite boxers yet, but boy he can strike it left and right, straight - nose first shot, upper cut and that jab, which has the accuracy and power to floor anyone. You name it, he has all the shot in his armoury. If you do not believe me, here is a glimpse, a teaser of what he is capable of.

6:15: Vijender will receive some massive support from his home fans in India, and A-listers will also be supporting the boxer from ringside. Twitter is already abuzz with support, and just let the bout begin, Cheka will not be fighting against Vijender alone, but a vocal crowd in New Delhi too.... 

Here is Saina Nehwal wishing Vijender all the best. 

5:50 pm IST: India has had some great boxers in the past, but as of now, it is Vijender, who is bagging all the headlines. Here's an interesting read regarding some top boxers from India over the years.  

After a brilliant start by Vijender in his career, Akhil Kumar is also eager to turn pro. 

Hello everyone. Welcome to International Business Times, India's live blog coverage of Vijender Singh vs Francis Cheka for the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title bout in New Delhi. This is Ashim Sunam, and you will not miss any action from the bout if you promise to stay here with me. 

It is one of the biggest fights India boxing fans will ever witness in the country, and boy, we have our own Vijender battling it out against an experienced fighter in the form of Cheka. It has all the ingredients of a classic encounter. 

The war of words already started with Cheka doing a lot of trash talking -- it is common in the sport of boxing -- prior to the bout. Vijender is a different breed, he walks the talk inside the boxing ring, and his last seven fights have reflected that. 

Can it get any better than this? 

Yes, it can, if Vijender manages to beat Cheka, it can be an ideal pre-Christmas gift from Vijender to India.