All roads for wrestling fans of the Capital will lead to the Talkatora Stadium on Friday as World Pro champion Sangram Singh hits the mat after a year-long gap in the first KD Jadhav Memorial International Kushti Championship.
Sangram will take on America’s star wrestler Kevin Radford in the feature bout of the night that will also see four other exciting bouts, featuring some of India’s rising stars.
True to his reputation, Sangram was brimming with confidence on the eve of his fight.
“I have worked hard for this bout and have even lost eight kilos. I have been eagerly waiting for this day and I am sure Kevin, despite his stamina and speed, will stand no chance in front of my capabilities,” Sangram said during the face-off.
The US wrestler however was not intimidated by Sangram’s brashness. He insisted that he would give a fitting reply in the ring tomorrow. He conceded that he was not as experienced as Sangram but he said that he had a plan to overpower him.
“I don’t believe in watching videos of my opponents. But I’m young and quick and I’m positive about surprising him with a few tricks of my own,” Kevin said.
The fight night will have a different format and will have six rounds of three minutes each to decide the winner and the fight will be taking place in the ring with an elevated mat.
The first bout will feature Pratik Bhakt against Sanjay Deswal; in the second, student Olympic Game gold medalist Labhanshu Rishikesh will take on Om Prakash while Shepal Yadav will be up against Sachin Attri in the third. The only women’s bout in this one-day championship will star Ekta against Akanksha.
The bout which is organised to pay tribute to KD Jadhav, India’s first individual Olympic medalist, aims to promote wrestling through a re-invigorated avatar in every nook and corner of the country.
“We have a lot of talented youngsters in our country who don’t get the chance to graduate from the initial stages of the sport, but this tournament will call out to those aspiring athletes and give them more confidence to take it up professionally,” son of the legendary KD Jadhav, Ranjit Jadhav said.
