IANS
Rio de Janeiro, August 11: Boxer Manoj Kumar became the second Indian pugilist to reach the pre-quarterfinals after he stunned Evaldas Petrauskas of Lithuania by a split decision in the men’s light welterweight (64kg) category at the Riocentrio Pavilion here Wednesday evening.
Up against the bronze medallist of the 2012 London Olympics, Manoj dominated all three rounds to carve out a unanimous 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 verdict. The Indian will next meet Fazluddin Gaiznazarov of Uzbekistan August 14.
“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,” Manoj said after his bout.
“My elder brother Rajesh Kumar as coach taught me as much as he can. 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.
Manoj utilsed his superior height to good effect, keeping his opponent at distance with sharp jabs and repeatedly penetrated Petrauskas’ defence with his excellent combinations.
Petrauskas’ attempts to beat Manoj’s defence by repeatedly rushing him and hoping to land with his jabs were met with effective counter-attacks by the Indian.
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,” Sandhu told reporters. “The opponent was an Olympic bronze medallist, and so Manoj’s performance was superb.”
