Vikas Krishan Yadav born in the Singhwa Khas village of the Hisar district in Haryana has won several medals in the AIBA Youth and the World Championships and has made our country proud. He is participating in the 2016 Olympics which is being held in Rio, and has a stacked card with some of the best boxers from around the world.
The 2012 Arjuna Award winner is next set to go off against U.S.A’s Charles Conwell in the Round of 32. Charles Conwell, along with being the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, is also a 2015 National Golden Gloves Champion, U.S. Boxing Youth Male Athlete of the Year and also the 2016 Olympic Trials Champion.
Conwell, intent on living up to the legacy of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, is all set to bring his A-game to the bout. If this is the mindset of Conwell, then Vikas Yadav’s job is definitely cut out for him against the 18-year old.
If Vikas Yadav defeats Conwell in the Round of 32 then he gets to proceed to the Round of 16 where he may have to take on more formidable opponents like Kazakhstan’s Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
Alimkhanuly who started boxing at the age of nine, is now one of the most successful members of the Astana Arlans World Series of Boxing Franchise, and he is also the AIBA World Championship Middleweight gold medallist.
His optimum efficiency lies in fighting at mid-range, where he can use his fast hands and power shots to defeat his opponent. Vikas Yadav definitely will need to be on a lookout for those power shots and Alimkhanuly’s quick hands.
Apart from Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, Vikas Yadav also needs to be on the lookout for Ireland’s Michael O’Reilly.
O’Reilly who resides in the county town of Clonmel pulled off the unachievable after defeating Khaybula Musalov 3:0 in the finals of the Baku 2015 European Games. He has also received the award for the Best Boxer at the 2011 Brandenburg Youth Club.
He also attended the 2015 AIBA World Championships in Doha and reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 AIBA Youth World Championships.
Russia’s 27-year old Artem Chebotarev, part of the elite class of the AIBA, is a ranged fighter who can prove to be a tough competition to the southpaw Vikas Yadav.
Chebotarev’s quick reflexes, his ferocious attacks coupled with experience and skill have enabled him to win the 2013 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Almaty, and a gold medal in the European Boxing Championships held in Moscow and Russia.
Last but not the least is Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev who apart from reading books, also likes to hurt people. Melikuziev, in 2014, dominated the Youth Middleweight Division when he won both the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games by defeating Juan Ramon Solano 3:0 in the final, and the AIBA Youth World Championship by defeating Luka Prtenjaca of Croatia 3:0 in the finals.
He has also defeated Kazakhstan’s Zhanibek Alimkhanukly during his run for the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championship Gold.
In conclusion, if Vikas Yadav wants to make it to finals he needs to keep himself strong not just physically, but mentally. And he needs to study every opponent’s fighting style to get the better of them, something we would be hoping for with crossed fingers.
