Olympics 2021: 3 reasons why Manish Kaushik lost to Luke McCormack in 63 kg opener

After Mary Kom's win and Vikas Krishan's loss, the Indian boxing contingent was dealt another blow as World Championships bronze medalist Manish Kaushik crashed out of the Olympics 2021 in Tokyo on Sunday.

Kaushik suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Luke McCormack in a closely-contested Round of 32 bout in the 63 kg category.

Manish Kaushik gave his all and showed tremendous spirit but couldn't get the nod from the judges in the end.

As the Commonwealth Games silver medalist bows out of the Tokyo Olympics, here are three reasons why he lost.

---

#1 A cautious start didn't help matters for Manish Kaushik

Manish took some time to get into the groove in the opening round, allowing his opponent to have the edge in the initial stages. From the middle of the bout, the Indian started evading his opponent well and connecting with superb punches.

But McCormack made up for it with a couple of nice body shots just before the bell rang. The effort eventually helped the British boxer tilt the balance in his favor as three judges voted for him, awarding him the first round 3-2.

#2 Decisive blows in third round seal the deal for McCormack

The final round turned out to be a tight one with both boxers going all out. With the two pugilists being evenly poised on completion of the first two rounds, both had no option but to up the intensity in the decider.

Both Manish Kaushik and Luke McCormack unleashed a flurry of body blows and jabs on each other in a highly exciting third round. Manish was the one who took control of the initial stages of the round before McCormack made amends towards the end with some decisive blows. Apparently, he connected better with his punches landing on the head and face of Kaushik, ultimately winning him the bout.

#3 McCormack impressed the judges more

Manish Kaushik (R) in action

Scoring in boxing remains a much-debated issue, with many a time teams protesting the decisions. What matters at the end of the day is how many judges the boxers have been able to impress.

In the case of Manish Kaushik and Luke McCormack, there was little to separate the two, especially in the third round, which was tightly contested. Both attacked right from the word go but all the judges voted in favor of the British, which secured the overall 4-1 win for McCormack.

The decision remains questionable, with many on social media expressing their displeasure over it.

Felt Manish Kaushik should have got the nod in a close bout, but Indians have often got the wrong end of the stick in close decisions in #boxing ... Tough for Manish... #WellFought #Olympics @WeAreTeamIndia

— V Krishnaswamy (@Swinging_Swamy) July 25, 2021

#ManishKaushik fought so well! How did that decision go against him! Loses first round against the Brit. #Boxing #TeamIndia #IndiaAtOlympics #Tokyo2020

— Wanderer (@DisDatNothin) July 25, 2021

---