London, Aug 7 - India's star pugilist Vijender Singh today crashed out of the middleweight category as he lost by 13-17 to Uzbekistan's Abbos Atoev in the quarterfinal at the Excel Arena, here today.
The Beijing Games bronze medallist wasn't really impressive during his last eight bout against an opponent whom he had beaten 7-0 in the Asian Games final at Guangzhou two years back.
A defensive boxer by nature, Vijender stayed in his shell a tad too long giving Atoev a chance to make inroads, which proved to be decisive in the end.
Atoev's left and right hook combination also fetched him more points than the Indian's right hooks that occasionally landed on spot.
In the first round, it was even-stevens as both boxers were locked at 3-3. However, in the second round, Vijender rattled Atoev with a lethal left hook but the Uzbek came up with a few solid counter punches as he won the round 7-5.
The two-point cushion proved good enough as the winner started the third round with a bang as his right hook landed flush on Vijender's face to help him consolidate his lead. He held onto it as he scored another seven points in the third round and clinched the issue with a 17-13 scoreline ensuring atleast a bronze medal. PTI |
