Boxer Vijender Singh clashes with French opponent at weigh-in

April 30, 2016

London, Apr 30: Sparks flew thick and fast between Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh and his French opponent Matiouze Royer during Friday’s official weigh-in at Stratford’s Copper Box Arena.

Vijender
Vijender has promised another knockout show but the Indian boxing star’s unbeaten run will be put through a tough challenge when he squares off against the experienced Frenchman in a super middleweight contest here tomorrow.

Royer, 29, is Vijender’s most experienced opponent to date. Vijender has won all his four bouts via Technical Knockouts in under three rounds.

The tall pugilist from Bayonne in South West France got embroiled in a confrontation with Vijender after the pair had weighed in. Despite the massive showdown being little more than 24 hours away, Royer couldn’t wait to get his hands on the Indian.

Both men were forced away from each other by officials as tempers threatened to boil over. Royer is a veteran of 44 fights, claiming 3 of his 14 wins via knockout and is promising to spoil the Indian party.

“I know I’ve got the beating of Vijender already; I saw it in his eyes. He looked scared to me. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll knock him out tomorrow night. There’s a lot of hype around this guy and I can’t wait to be the one to put him in his place,” said Royer.

He added: “I’m the more experienced fighter and I’ll show it tomorrow. There’s no way I’m letting this guy beat me; he’s only had four professional fights. He won’t have a reply for anything I throw at him and once I start landing it will be game over for India’s golden boy.”

Vijender looked in impressive condition as he hit the scales at 11 stone 13lbs while Royer came in at 11 stone 13lbs.

If Vijender carries on his impressive knockout streak, he may be rewarded with a mega-fight with British boxing star Amir Khan.

Khan, a two-time former world champion, has a glitterring career which includes 31 wins, three losses and 19 knockouts. He is expected to face one of the biggest challenges of his career when he steps up in weight to take on Mexican boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in what could be a career defining fight.

The Bolton hero has said that he would love to take on fellow Olympic star Vijender in a blockbuster showdown in India in the future.

“That’s good, I’m very interested in that fight. I’d accept the challenge 100 percent. Obviously there’s the difference in weight but I’m sure we could get that sorted somewhere down the line if I carry on progressing. It would be absolutely huge in India,” Vijender said.

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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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