Asian boxing q'fiers: Ashish in last 8, win away from Oly berth
05-March-2020
Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Kumar (75kg) knocked out the fourth seed Bekzhigit Uulu Omurbek of Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in a brilliant performance to move into the quarter-finals of the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers here on Thursday. He now needs one more win to secure his Tokyo Olympic ticket.
Having defeated the World No. 15 on his way to winning the silver at the Asian Championships last year, the 16th ranked Kumar came into this bout with a lot of confidence. He started slow as the Kyrgyz raced out of the blocks to land a flurry of jabs on the Indian.
But once he settled down into the match, Ashish was able to connect better than his opponent. While the first round did go his way, the undeterred Omurbek came storming back to use his right-hand punches effectively and bounced back into the bout.
The final round was a heavily one-sided affair in favour of the Indian who's smart defensive tactic did not allow his opponent to land his blows.
"The bout went really well for me, I am very happy with this win. I'll prepare the strategies well to face my next opponent. It will be really important as I am just one win away from making it to Tokyo. I'll give my absolute best to make my Olympic dream come true," Ashish said after his victory.
Ashish will next face Indonesia's Maikhel Roberrd Muskita for a place in the semis and to confirm his Tokyo Olympics berth. IANS
BJP Loses Veteran Malikayya Guttedar to Congress Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections
ED Attaches Rs 97.79 Crore Worth of Properties Belonging to Raj Kundra Under PMLA
ISRO's Former Director Cites Probability Theory in Support of Possible Alien Existence
Gaming Startup LightFury Raises $8.5 Million to Develop AAA Titles in India and UK
Wow! Momo Raises Rs 70 Crore, Following Rs 350 Crore Investment to Extend Growth