Indian boxers win bronzes, bow out in semifinals

Devendro Singh was amongst those who settled for bronze

Premier Indian prospects Shiva Thapa, Devendro Singh and Satish Kumar saw their campaigns at the Asian Boxing Championships end in the semifinals, with each of them collecting bronze medals for their efforts.

Satish Kumar (+91kg) lost to the 2nd seeded Zhibao Wang of China in his semifinal match. He defeated Tajikistan’s Siyovush Zukhurov in his quarterfinal match.

Devendro Singh (49 Kg), who won a silver medal in the previous edition, couldn’t manage to edge past Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov in a close semifinal encounter. Singh beat Indonesian Cornelis Kwangu Langu 3-0 in his quarterfinal bout. The Manipuri’s trademark aggression was on full display, but more impressive was the control and precision with which he landed his right uppercuts and hooks. Fleet-footed Singh pierced Langu’s defence with his uppercuts and landed jabs and hooks to chalk up points.

Incumbent champion in the 56 Kg category, Shiva Thapa, couldn’t defend his crown as he lost to Uzbekistan's Murodjon Akhmadaliev in his semifinal match. Thapa defeated Kyrgyzstan's Omurbek Malabekov 2-1 in the quarterfinal, when the latter could not continue because of a deep cut above his left eye. Not to detract from Thapa’s performance though, as he remained unruffled by Malabekov’s aggression and pressure and showed effective counter-punching, repeatedly landing his left hook.

The lone battler keeping India’s hopes alive at the tournament is Vikas Krishan Yadav (75 Kg), who comprehensively beat Iraq's Abdulridha Waheed to move into the final. The World Championship bronze medallist breezed past Vietnamese boxer Dinh Hoang Truong with a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinal. The Haryani pugilist’s execution was flawless, as he used his renowned defence to dumbfound Truong and landed quick,clean counter-shots.

There is no doubt that a gold medal would’ve left them completely sated, but pride can be taken in the fact that all three have qualified for the World Championships, to be held in Doha in October this year.

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Edited by Staff Editor