Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was booed by the crowd at the Thyagaraj stadium where he had come to watch Vijender Singh's WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Championship title on Saturday night.

Sporting a grey t-shirt and denims, Gandhi walked into the stadium only to see a part of the crowd boo him and then chant 'Modi, Modi', referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 46-year-old, who sat beside IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla, had a similar experience when he walked out of the stadium after the end of the title clash which Vijender won after beating Australia's Kerry Hopes.

However, Gandhi didn't react to the boos of the crowd and simply smiled back before leaving the stadium. 

The event was attended by the who's who of sports, entertainment and politics, including boxer M C Mary Kom, who teared up a bit while acknowledging a loud applause from the crowd. Star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, cricketers Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj and Suresh Raina, actor Randeep Hooda were also present.

With inputs from PTI