India’s boxer Manoj Kumar defeated Evaldas Petrauskas of Lituiania in the Round of 32 of the men’s Light Welterweight (64kg) category at the Rio de Janerio.

Manoj dominated all three rounds to carve out a 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 verdict and entered to the pre-quarterfinals.

Manoj said “My opponent was strong, but my punches had power. I played according to his punches. I knew he was a hard opponent, so I didn’t go with any strategy to the ring. All strategy was made on the go”.
“My elder brother Rajesh Kumar as coach taught me as much as he could. I have no God given talent. It’s hard work over 20 years that has brought me here. If my fist has power, I will succeed in the next match too,” he added.

Both boxers were aggressive right from the start. Despite being much shorter than Manoj, Petrauskas ultra aggressive style and his raw power did cause some problems for the Haryana fighter but Manoj utilised his superior height to good effect, keeping his opponent at distance with sharp jabs.

Gurcharan Singh Sandhu, the head coach of the Indian boxing squad, praised Manoj for his performance.
“The opponent was a power puncher but Manoj kept him at long range. He wanted to move in close and deliver strong hits,” said Sandhu. “The opponent is a 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist, and so Manoj’s performance was superb,” he added.

India will next meet Fazluddin Gaiznazarov of Uzbekistan in the Round of 16 on August 14.

(Prepared from media sources by Seema Kumari)

  boxing, India, Rio Olympics, sports