London: Indian boxer Manoj Kumar reached the pre-quarterfinals in the 64 kg class with a convincing victory over Serdar Hudayberdiyev of Turkmenistan at the London Olympics.
The 25-year-old was in control throughout the bout as he registered an easy 13-7 win on Tuesday. The first round was a tight affair with both fighters being cautious. Manoj, especially looked circumspect as the round ended 2-2.
In the second, though the Indian showed his class landing some hard blows on the Turkmenistan fighter. Manoj had his opponent on the backfoot for most of the round and was the clear winner with judges scoring 7-3 in his favour.
With a four-point lead, going into the third, Manoj concentrated on his defence letting Hudayberdiyev do the attacking. Though, was in no mood to give in and landed some brilliant one-two punches to all but seal his victory.
With time running out, a visibly tired Hudayberdiyev went hell for leather, however it didn't prove to be enough as he lost the round 2-4. The Indian will have his task cut out when he takes on number three seed Thomas Stalker on Saturday. The Briton received a bye in the round of 32 and with the crowd behind his back, he will be a tough nut to crack.
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