Ashish Kumar a win away from qualifying for 2020 Olympics
The Indian middleweight stunned fourth seed Omurbek Bekzhigit Uulu by beating him in all three rounds.
Ashish Kumar got his second win in the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers at Amman, Jordan on Thursday after he got the better of Omurbek Bekzhigit Uulu to move into the quarter-finals of the men’s middleweight (69-75 kg).
The Indian pugilist put on an impressive display as he was in control for most of the bout against the fourth seed Kyrgyzstan boxer, emerging triumphant in all three rounds.
Ashish Kumar made the most of his height and reach to sweep the first round before making Bekzhigit initially look coarse in the second even though the fourth seed managed to land a few powerful blows. The final round was mostly about the Indian avoiding Bekzhigit’s wild swings as he nursed the fight over the line for his second win in three days.
“The fight was really nice. He made it a little difficult for me and now I'm a little tired. I will recover for the next fight and do even better,” Ashish Kumar told the Olympic Channel after his win.
A dominant first round by Ashish Kumar
The Indian middleweight’s strategy was evident for all to see from the first round itself. Fighting with his trademark low guard, Ashish Kumar was keen to make his reach count and he did so effectively with a couple of right cross punches that rocked an advancing Omurbek Bekzhigit in his tracks.
Bekzhigit was also looking to play the role of the aggressor by trying to close the distance and push Ashish Kumar on to the ropes, where he could unload.
Aware of what his opponent was trying to do, Ashish Kumar used his quick footwork and head movement to get out of tight spaces and was also seen connecting with a solid right cross on one occasion before eventually winning the opening round 5-0.
The Indian goes down twice in the second
The second round was more evenly matched as Ashish Kumar began with an arching right that an advancing Omurbek Bekzhigit walked into.
He looked on top for the majority of round two as well courtesy his movement and height that was forcing his opponent to reach in order to close the distance and get some punches away.
However, the Kyrgyz did end the round strong with a big right hand followed by a left jab that sent the Indian boxer to the floor. Another right soon after dropped Ashish Kumar once more and his legs didn’t seem to be very steady either.
That said, despite going down twice in the second, Ashish Kumar still won the round 3-2 thanks to his handy work at the start of the round.
Avoiding further damage gives Ashish Kumar the win
The final round witnessed Omurbek Bekzhigit go all-out in search of a finish, but Kumar’s swift movement meant that he was comfortably staying out of range with the fourth seed mostly missing his punches by quite some distance.
The Kyrgyz pugilist’s wild punches continued to find air as the round wore on, while Kumar kept his focus and ensured that he didn’t suffer much damage to win the last round and the bout by unanimous decision.
Ashish Kumar is now just one more win away from securing a berth in India’s boxing contingent for Tokyo 2020 and will face Indonesia's Maikhel Muskita in the quarter-final of the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers.
On being just one win away from sealing the 2020 Olympics spot, he said, “It means a lot to me. It means everything to me to be just one win away from Tokyo. It is my dream."
When and where to watch the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers
You can follow all the action from the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers live exclusively on the Olympic Channel as well as our Facebook page. The morning session will get underway at 1:30 PM IST while the evening session is scheduled to begin at 8:30 IST.
You can also follow the daily live blog in both English and Hindi on the Olympic Channel.