Manoj Kumar makes disappointing Rio exit

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  • Out: Manoj.

    On a day full of disappointments in hockey and badminton and an anxious flirtation with destiny in artistic gymnastics, India’s medal hopes were thwarted once again as boxing hopeful Manoj Kumar fell to fifth seed Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in the round of 16 to become the second boxer after Shiva Thapa to exit from the Olympics.

    Competing in the 64kg lightweight category, Kumar lost 0-3 to his Uzbekistan counterpart in a bout that was mostly dominated by clinching and unclean boxing. However, the contest did witness Kumar’s fighting spirit even as he went down narrowly with all the judges scoring it 10-9 in each of the three rounds.

    Gaibnazarov is the more accomplished of the two – he won silver at the 2015 World Cup and 2015 Asian Championships – and that was apparent from the very first round itself. Stronger and armed with a more powerful left limb, the 25-year- old leapt in with wild hooks to Kumar’s head before successfully dodging the latter’s retaliations.

    On the other hand, Kumar preferred to fight orthodox, agitating the opposition with his dodge-first-attack-later strategy. While that seemed to work for some time, Gaibnazarov managed to land a couple of left jabs in the dying moments to clinch the round by a slim margin.

    Round 2 saw Kumar in a more attacking mindset, but there was no way he could match the Uzbek’s power. In fact, Gaibnazarov rattled him enough to earn Kumar a standing 8 count. A fierce blow by Gaibnazarov’s left hand continued to trouble the Indian throughout the rest of the fight, although he never fell short of energy or spirit.

    Some fluid movement by the Uzbek in the finishing seconds frustrated Kumar as he indulged in a futile attempt to land some desperate punches. With Gaibanazarov having taken the round, Kumar needed at least 10-8 in the third to survive in this match.

    Accordingly, the 29-year- old came out all guns roaring in Round 3, but Gaibnazarov, probably beingaware of his advantageous position in the bout, refused to engage. He relied on back-peddling at Kumar’s attempted attacks in between periods of clinching when the referee was forced to separate the fighters.

    By the end of the round, the Uzbek emerged as the clear winner for all the judges with his power and potency unmatched by the Haryana pugilist. As an exhausted Kumar crashed out of the Games, the weary smile on his face betrayed the emotions of a valiant competitor who had given it his all against a bigger opponent.

    With Vikas Krishan remaining the sole medal hope for India in boxing in the 75kg category, one hopes he does not draw a blank in his quarterfinal bout on Monday.

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