Death in professional sport is unfortunate reality, says Vijender Singh on Scott Westgarth

Feb 27, 2018, 10:02 IST | Ashwin Ferro

India's star pro boxer Vijender Singh did not react alarmingly yesterday on learning of the death of British boxer Scott Westgarth (left), who passed away in hospital after winning an English light-heavyweight bout on Saturday

Scott Westgarth
Scott Westgarth

India's star pro boxer Vijender Singh did not react alarmingly yesterday on learning of the death of British boxer Scott Westgarth (left), who passed away in hospital after winning an English light-heavyweight bout on Saturday. Westgarth, 31, was rushed to hospital after his win over Dec Spellman, but died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"It's very sad, but these things happen in professional sport. In cricket, look at the unfortunate death of India's Raman Lamba (hit on the head by a ball while fielding at forward short leg 20 years ago in Dhaka) or more recently, Australian Phillip Hughes (hit on the neck by a bouncer while batting at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November 2014)," he told mid-day yesterday.

When asked if he thinks of his wife Archana and young son Abir, four, whenever he steps into the ring, Vijender shot back: "I'm doing this for them. We professional fighters do our job for two reasons — to bring food on the table for our families and to represent our countries. Soldiers also risk their lives. Boxing is no different."

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