Tokyo Games: Pugilist Satish Kumar sails into quarterfinals
Indian boxer Satish Kumar (+91kg) eased into the quarterfinals of his debut Olympic Games, defeating Jamaica's Ricardo Brown in his opening bout in Tokyo on Thursday. In the battle of two debutants, Kumar prevailed 4-1, a comfortable win for him despite the split verdict. Kumar was helped by Brown's poor footwork throughout the bout though he ended up sustaining a cut on his forehead.
Kumar will next face Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov
Next up for Kumar is Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov, the reigning world and Asian champion. Jalolov out-punched Azerbaijan's Mahammad Abdullayev 5-0 in his last-16 bout. Kumar, also a 2018 Commonwealth Games silver-medalist, dominated with his right hand and allowed Brown to repeatedly make the mistake of lunging in with very little balance.
Kumar was sharper in responding to Brown's attacks
Brown seemed to be looking for that one big punch that could unsettle the Indian but failed miserably, owing to his inability to move quickly enough. The 32-year-old two-time Asian Championships bronze-winner Indian, in comparison, was light on his feet and thereby sharper in responding to Brown's attacks. Brown is the first boxer from his country to qualify for the Games since 1996.
Brown was Jamaica's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony
The 31-year-old Brown was Jamaica's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. He is the co-founder of Sensi Juice, an organic juice company based in Canada. The juices produced by his company are infused with Cannabis. Brown also worked as a chef in Jamaica till 2014.
Lovlina Borgohain also made it through to quarterfinals
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) also advanced to the quarterfinals in her debut Olympic appearance, defeating Germany's Nadine Apetz in a closely fought last 16 stage bout on Tuesday. India's boxing journey started on July 24 and this time the expectations are riding high on India's boxers. In 2016, the Indian boxing contingent didn't live up to expectations as they returned with no medals.
