Hopes of a boxing medal from Vijender in London Olympics crash as Beijing Games bronze medallist lose to Atoev in quarterfinal

India's star pugilist Vijender Singh crashed out of the middleweight category as he lost by 13-17 to Uzbekistan's Abbos Atoev in the quarterfinal at the Excel Arena on Monday, says a report in The Times Of India, adding that 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,” adds the report.

Meanwhile a report in Deccan Chronicle says that the exCel arena was packed with flag-waving Indian spectators who lustily cheered vijender the moment he stepped onto the ring and the decibel level increased after every bout. Vijender, a bronze medal winner in the Beijing Olympic Games four years ago, just could not raise the tempo when it mattered the most as his Uzbek rival intelligently fended off his punches and launched counter attacks.

“The Indian, who had carved out a hard-fought 16-15 victory over Terrell Gausha of the USA in the quarter finals on August 2, began cautiously and was quite content in guaging the strategy of his Uzbek opponent in the first round which ended 3-3. Spurred on by the vociferous crowd which kept chanting "India, India", Vijender began the second round well with a barrage of left and right punches which left the Uzbek dazed. But he showed tremendous character to regain his composure and peg the Indian back with his deadly left punches,” says the report, adding that Atoev turned the table in his favour in the second round which he won 7-5.

“In a desperate to make amends in the third and final round, Vijender went all out on the attack. But in the process, he allowed his opponent to consolidate his position a little bit as he left his guard open and, and though he landed a few punches, it was not enough to give him a clear lead. As a result, the third round ended with 7-5 scoreline. Vijender, a former world number one, adapted a more attacking strategy in the third and final round but the Uzbekistan boxer was equal to the task as he fended off the punches deftly and counter attacked fiercely. As the two boxers waited for the result, the Indian crowd went silent as the Uzbek was declared the winner,” adds the report.