Indian boxer Nishant Dev earns first-round knockout win over Cesar Diaz

NEW DELHI: India’s Nishant Dev earned a first-round knockout win against Peru’s Cesar Diaz in a the super welterweight fight on Sunday.

Nishant knocked down Diaz thrice in their clash, with the final one coming from a left uppercut that proved to be the decisive action for the Indian in the undercard fight for the blockbuster Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga battle.

With this win, Nishant improved his professional record to 7-0 as he looks to become the first Indian professional boxing world champion, an ambition he highlighted after the Diaz fight.

“Every time I’m learning something new, I’m l learning things that make me better each fight. There’s not an Indian boxer from India that’s a world champion. So now, I’m going to be shutting their mouths and becoming a world champion,” he told DAZN in his post-fight interview.

A bronze medallist in the light middleweight (71kg) division at the 2023 World Championships and among India’s most consistent amateur performers, Nishant turned pro after a narrow quarterfinal loss to Mexico’s Marco Verde at the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers. Agencies

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