Asiad boxing: Vikas keeps medal hopes alive

Three male boxers – Kuldeep Singh, Mandeep Jangra and Gaurav Bidhuri – bowed out of the Asian Games in the quarter-finals while Vikas Krishan kept alive his medal hopes here Monday.

Bidhuri began the losing trend of the day, going down 0-3 (27-30, 26-30, 27-30) to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov by an unanimous judges’ decision in the fly weight (52kg) category.

He was followed by Jangra who lost 0-3 again by unanimous judges’ decision against Thailand’s Apichet Saensit in the welter weight(69kg) division. He lost 27-29, 27-29 and 26-29.

Kuldeep, in the light heavy weight(81kg) section, emulated his compatriots, getting outpunched by Ehsan Rouzbahani 0-3 (26-30, 27-30, 26-30) in an unanimous judges’ decision to complete India’s misadventure.

Krishan, however, kept alive his medal hopes as he eased past Azamat Uulu Kanybek of Kyrgyzstan to reach the last eight stage of the middle weight (75kg) category. He won by an unanimous decision, dominating all three rounds of the bout, securing a 30-26, 30-27, 30-26 victory.

Fighting in the lightweight (60kg) category, he had won the Asiad gold medal four years ago in Guangzhou. Krishan will take on Hurshidbek Normatov of Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals Tuesday.