Chandigarh
30 January 2024
DIVYA AZAD
Mandeep Jangra has done for Indian boxing what no Indian boxer has been able to do till now. He defeated American boxer Gerardo Esquivel in a one-sided manner in the Intercontinental title fight held in Washington, USA and won the world title for the country for the first time.
He had prepared for this fight with Roy Jones Jr. Roy Jones is an Olympic medalist and has won the Golden Gloves boxing title twice. He won world titles in four weight categories and till now he has trained many legendary boxers. Mandeep’s name has also been included in this list. He is the first Indian to join Roy Jones, first to fight for the belt and first to achieve it.
Minerva Academy has also supported him a lot in his journey and while living in India, he did strength training with the academy only.
The journey till here was not easy for Mandeep. Till now he used to fight in 75 kg category. For the Intercontinental title fight, he lost weight in 6 months and came down to play in the 59 kg category.
Mandeep said that this victory is not just mined but of every person who has supported me throughout the journey. My coaches, family, fans etc. stood with me. I dedicate this title to my country. I will try to continue achieving similar respect and titles for the country in the future also.
Mandeep is undefeated in his professional boxing career so far. He has fought 7 fights and won all seven. Before the title fight, he won 4 out of 6 fights by knockout. One of his fights was cancelled. He made his debut in professional boxing on May 7, 2021. In the first fight, Mandeep defeated Luciano Ramos and then knocked out Devon Lira. In the third fight he defeated Brandon Sandoval by technical knockout and then in the fourth fight he defeated Ryan Reber. After defeating Yesner Talavera in a one-sided manner in the fifth fight, Mandeep knocked out Markus Bovos in the sixth fight.
