Indian boxer Satish Kumar advanced to the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics with a comprehensive win against Ricardo Brown of Jamaica in the mens super-heavyweight round of 16 bout on Thursday.
Kumar, the 32 year old from Bulandshahr Uttar Pradesh who is making his Olympics debut, won the +91kg bout by a 4:1 split verdict at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. Four of the five judges scored the bout in favour of the Indian boxer.
Both boxers started defensively and kept their distance as they tested each other. Brown went on the attack, but Kumar was able to defend most of the attacks from the Jamaican. The Indian also landed some punches through his better timing and earned points from all five judges. He won the first round 50-44.
Brown, also an Olympic debutant, remained the aggressor in the second round as well but wasn't able to trouble Kumar much. The Indian boxer defended brilliantly and landed timely hooks and jabs. Kumar, despite suffering a slight cut above his right eye and given prompt medical attention, maintained his upper hand and won this round too, getting 10 points from four judges (49-46).
With the heavyweights slowing down going into the third round as fatigue kicked in, Kumar continued with his defensive tactics. Though Brown put up a better performance in the third round as he landed couple of good left hooks and followed them with solid body bunches, but that was not enough as Kumar, a two-time Asian Championship bronze medallist, emerged winner.
It was a good win for the Indian who next faces reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan on Sunday.
T20 WC: Rohit to lead India's 15-man squad, Hardik vice-captain
Rohit Sharma will lead the 15-member squad that will represent India at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA, scheduled from June 1 to 29.
Gukesh wins Candidates tournament, becomes the challenger for world title
Seventeen-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster D. Gukesh on Monday became the youngest player to win the FIDE Candidates tournament and to become the challenger for the world chess title.
IPL 2024: Iyer, Salt, Russell star as KKR survive Karn scare to beat RCB by one run
With 21 runs needed off the final over, Karn sliced Starc over backward point for six and survived a caught-behind appeal on the very next ball. Karn stayed deep in the crease and smacked Starc for sixes over extra cover and backward point.
China-made drone seized near India-Pak border in Punjab
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday said it has seized a China-made drone near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Amritsar district along with a packet of 500 gm of heroin.
Congress in Tripura blocks rail stations to protest police fired-killing of 5 farmers in MP
The firing on Tuesday came during raucous protests to demand better crop prices in the drought-ravaged region that saw one farmer suicide every five hours in the past two years.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.
Indian American selected among 12 NASA astronaut candidates
He continued on to earn a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School.
World's oldest human species' fossils found in Morocco
The institute said the remains of the Homo sapiens, which were found in a remote village called Jbel Irhoud, date back to over 300,000 years ago, Xinhua reported.