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India’s heavyweight boxer Satish Kumar is on the injured list of boxers in Tokyo. He has a deep cut on the chin and right eye suffered during the first round bout of the men’s plus 91kg at the 2021 Olympics.
Sportskeeda had an exclusive chat with a national coach, who gave a meaningful insight into the current situation of Satish Kumar regarding the injury.
The national coach is familiar with the nature of the injury and said Satish's chances of giving his best look doubtful in the quarterfinals as wounds might split.
“Satish got injured in the first round against the burly Jamaican boxer Ricardo Brown. He has a deep cut on the chin. Satish’s right eye also has a cut on the upper and lower sides. He might not be in good health to compete in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics,” said the coach.
The 32-year-old Indian boxer from Uttar Pradesh is all set to face reigning world and Asian champion Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals of the men’s plus 91kg category.
“Satish had done good training. Since the wounds take time to heal, it could hurt Satish’s chances of having an advantage over his rival,” said the national coach.
Satish Kumar is the only male Indian boxer to progress into the next round
Five male Indian boxers qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Except Satish, all Indian boxers lost their first-round bouts in their respective weight categories.
India’s medal hopeful and star boxer Amit Panghal also failed to advance into the quarterfinals of the men’s 52kg. Amit, who scored a bye in the first round, lost 1-4 to Colombia’s Yuberjen Martinez in the pre-quarters. Satish is the only male boxer to progress into the next round.
“Even if Satish is able to enter the ring for quarterfinals, chances are he wouldn’t be able to give his best. If the wounds split open during the bout against the Uzbekistan boxer it will spoil Satish’s chances of winning if any,” added the national coach.
India’s chief coach CA Kuttappa was not available for comment. Karanjeet Singh, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) medical expert with the team didn’t respond to any messages either. Santiago Nieva, BFI's high performance director, said Satish has recovered and will take the field.
“Yes, he is better. He will box,” Santiago said on text.
