Iain Weaver set up a bantamweight grudge match with Indian favourite Akhil Kumar after easing through his Commonwealth Games opener with a second round stoppage of Swaziland's Vusie Simelane.
The Ferndown based boxer, who trains at Golden Ring ABC in Southampton, beat Kumar to win the Commonwealth Feds in Delhi earlier this year and, after both fighters traded jibes in the local media, the Saturday night rematch is promising to cause a stir.
Weaver said Kumar would have to get fitter in order to stand a chance against him and, after stopping Simelane, he shrugged: “He looks pretty much still the same Akhil Kumar I boxed last time.”
Despite 'Delhi Belly' laying low lots of swimming athletes and other big names staying away over security concerns, Weaver loves life in India having also beaten a local fighter to win the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in 2008.
Then Weaver recovered from four points down heading into the final round to beat Vitas Krishna 16-10 and he revealed how the prospect of another boisterous home crowd is likely to spur him on.
Weaver said: “I've beaten Kumar once and there's no reason why I can't do it again. I love fighting in front of a noisy crowd whether they're against me or not. Hopefully I'm going to beat my third Indian on Saturday night.”
Weaver decked his opponent with two clubbing rights in the second round then forced another standing count as he looked to finish the job. Two more counts left Weaver in a 10-1 lead before the referee waved it off.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel