For decades, India-Pakistan sporting rivalries have largely been defined by cricket, where every encounter carries the weight of history, national pride and intense fan interest. Indian boxer Manish Sharma slapped Pakistani fighter Rahim Pardesi during a pre-fight face-off in Dubai. A video of the encounter has gone viral on social media, and as expected, sparked a debate among users from both countries.
Boxing has now added another contest to that sporting equation, although the latest drama has come before the opening bell.
Pardesi reacted strongly to the video commenting, “Don’t worry… I will give my reply on November 6th. Game over.
Because you’re a weak person inside out, let’s just hope you don’t punch like you slap.
“Match started four days before the event,” commented one user from India, commenting on the post of Sharma, who is popularly known has Half Engineer. “One medal for India,” said another. “The slap was funny,” one of his fans commented. “The slap was personal,” said another.
