Giant-killer blow

Indian boxer Laishram Devendro Singh stunned 2008 Beijing Games silver medallist and World Amateur Boxing champion Serdamba Purevdorj of Mongolia to storm into the quarter-finals of the men's light-fly weight(49kg) category.

The pocket-sized dynamo from Manipur outclassed his superior Mongolian rival 16-11 in the pre-quarterfinals at the ExCel arena and put himself one win away from a bronze medal. Though he was up against a more experienced fighter, Devendro managed to outscore Purevdorj in all three rounds of the bout.

The Mongolian's better seeding meant that he was given a bye in the first round, while Devendro had pummelled Bayron Mollina of Honduras in his first round so badly that the referee awarded the contest to the Indian in less than three minutes.

Aggressive tactics

Devendro started from where he left in his opening bout and kept Purevdorj under pressure by adopting an aggressive attitude from the word go. Devendro was quick with his footwork and also displayed fast hands, which his fourth seeded Mongolian found hard to handle as he was brought down to the canvas twice in the bout by the Indian.

With some quick left and right punches, Devendro seized the early initiative by taking a 4-3 lead in the opening round. His aggression meant the Mongolian could only wait for opportunities on the counter, as Devendro kept throwing punches at a furious rate through the match. Devendro continued the onslaught in the second round and managed to bring his opponent down to the canvas with a combination of powerful left and right punches. A stunned Purevdorj seemed to have ran out of steam as Devendro pocketed the second round 4-2 to widen the lead over his opponent.

Powerpacked

Devendro was in furious mood as within 60 seconds of the third round the Mongolian was given a standing count by the referee, courtesy a powerful straight punch from Devendro.

... contd.

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