Putting up a determined show, pugilist Vijay Kumar secured a hard-earned victory to punch his way to the semi-finals of the ongoing Elorda Cup on Friday.
In a fiercely-contested bout against Zholdas Zhenissov of Kazakhstan, Vijay (60kg) overpowered his opponent to seal a 3-2 victory by split decision.
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With the bout being a close affair, it was the attacking brilliance and smart decision-making of the Indian that gave him the edge over his opponent.
He will be up against Beknur Ozhanov of Kazakhstan in the semi-finals on Saturday.
In the other semi-final bouts, Keisham Sanjit Singh (48kg), Neema (63kg) and Sumit (86kg) bowed out of the competition with a bronze.
In spite of proper preparations, Keisham and Sumit had to, unfortunately, give their respective opponents walkovers due to last-minute changes to the original schedule.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has officially sent a complaint to the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation to protest this decision that caused injustice to the Indian pugilists.
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On the other hand, Neema went down fighting in her semi-final bout against Laura Yessenkeldi of Kazakhstan.
On Saturday, Sushma (81kg) will face the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist Fariza Sholtay of Kazakhstan in her semi-finals bout.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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