Indian boxer Vijender Singh has booked place in the quarter-finals of the middle weight (75kg) in the World Boxing Championships (WBC) after defeating Steve Rolls of Canada 4-2 in Milan, Italy on Tuesday.

The top seeded Vijender was trailing in the first round by 1-0 but he came back in the second round with better arm span to take 2-1 lead over his opponent. He had reached into the pre-quarterfinal after punching out Kazakhstan’s Belgibayev Azamat 14-8.  

Vijender, Beijing Olympic bronze medalist, earned two more points in the final round to win the match 4-2 and to move into the next round. Vijender kept an arm distance from his opponent with the help of great footwork and sharp jabs in the last minutes to ensure his win.

Vijender Singh will now play against Derevyanchenko Sergiy of Ukraine in the quarterfinal. Sergiy defeated Killici Adem of Turkey in the pre quarter-final match to move to the quarterfinals.