Akhil Kumar did the unthinkable and upstaged world champion Sergey Vodopyanov in an edge-of-the-seat thriller to put himself just one win away from an Olympic medal here on Friday.
The Haryana boxer, trailing 2-6 at one stage, drew parity in the dying seconds and won on points to reach the quarter-finals of the 54kg category at the Workers’ Gymnasium.
Though the boxer insists he is not ready to settle for anything less than the gold, he would be assured of a medal if he wins his quarter-final bout on Sunday.
The Russian world champion grabbed the early initiative and had a slight edge in both the rounds as he raced to a 6-2 lead midway through the third round.
Offensive strategy
To make it even more difficult for the Indian, the Russian used both the orthodox and southpaw stance but it did not really pay off as Akhil went on the offensive.
Akhil eventually prevailed in the third round to reduce the gap (7-8) and then in the final round, landed a couple of punches on the Russian to draw parity at 9-9. With both boxers level at 9-9, the Indian was declared the winner on points. “It was not easy, for he is the world champion but once I levelled the score, I knew I cannot lose,” said Akhil. “It’s not possible to assure you of the gold but I can tell you that I’m here to win only gold,” said the boxer. “I know things would not be easier, in fact it would get even more difficult from now onwards. But I’m here to do my job and return with the gold.
“If luck decides the outcome, I may return with the bronze. But if confidence is the determining factor, gold is mine,” he thundered.
Coach G S Sandhu was effusive in praise for his ward and said, “Only Akhil could have done that. He was confident all along and he proved that it was not mere wishful thinking on his part. We are so proud of him.
“The job, however, is not done yet, even though the win would have filled him with more confidence. Trailing 2-6, few would have come out a winner but he managed that. He is supremely confident and knows what he is going to do.”,br>-(PTI)
