An impressive win, and a dubious loss leaves just two Indian boxers in the medal race

It was yet another day of mixed fortunes for Indian boxing as the ecstacy of a superb win was followed by another controversial bout with an Indian at the receiving end. While Devendro Singh got the better of Mongolian boxer Serdamba Purevdorj in the Men’s light flyweight (49kg) category, Manoj Kumar bowed out of the Olympics after losing to Britain’s Thomas Stalker by a dubious 16-20 margin in the Men’s Light Welter (64kg) category.

Devendro Singh, who was the first Indian in action today, continued to impress with his aggressive style of play. Displaying a superb sense of agility, Devendro wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of jabs and punches to grab the initial momentum. He took the first round 4-3.

There was no let up in the intensity by the Indian in the second round as Purevdorj, the silver medal winner in Beijing, was quickly running out of ideas against the onslaught. Devendro’s dominance over his superior competitor reached its peak when the Manipuri lad managed to knock him down. Purevdovj tried to mount a comeback but was no match to the 20 year old who increased his lead by taking the second round by a 4-2 margin.

With a cushion of three points, Devendro adopted a defensive approach and looked to go through the motions in the third round. His Mongolian opponent had no choice but to drop his guard, and go for an all out attack. This worked in favor of Devendro who made good use of several openings and took the third round 8-6 to win the fight with an overall verdict of 16-11.

With the win, Devendro became the second Indian after Vijender Singh (75 kg category) to march into the quater-finals of the boxing events in the 2012 Olympics. Earlier in the tournament, he had made a terrific Olympics debut when he outclassed Molina Figueroa Bayron within the first round of the bout.

Devendro will now face Beijing Olympics bronze medal winner Paddy Barnes of Ireland in the quarters. A win here will not only take the pint sized Indian into the semi-finals, but will also ensure a medal for India.

Manoj Kumar, who was the second Indian in the fray, squared up against local hero Thomas Stalker. Stalker, the captain of the home team’s boxing squad, was the aggressor early on, and opened his account with a series of 1-2 combinations. The Indian, after settling down, tried to get back with a few jabs but was no match for his opponent, as he took the first round 7-4.

Manoj tried to up the ante in the second round, and came out with more intent but the Britisher, after an initial hiccup, came into his own and the duo had a flurry of exchanges in the middle of the ring. The round was eventually awarded to Stalker with a 9-5 verdict but many felt it was not a correct reflection of the proceedings.

Staring at a huge deficit of 7 points, the Indian had an uphill task in the third round but he looked unperturbed, and continued his relentless attack. Stalker, fully aware of the situation, went defensive, and moved around the ring to protect his huge lead. Even though Manoj dominated the round, and took it 7-4, it was not enough, and Stalker was adjudged the winner with a 20-16 verdict.

Manoj became the fifth Indian pugilist to bow out of the Olympics following Shiva Thapa, Sumit Sangwan, Jai Bhagwan and Vikas Krishnan.