Srinivas, Sanjit enter semifinals

BANGKOK, APRIL 3. Amidst nerve wrecking tension and high drama India's H. Srinivas Rao (fly weight) and K. Sanjit Singh (lt.welter) recorded narrow victories over their rivals to enter the semifinals of their respective categories in the King's Cup boxing tournament here on Monday.

The tough victories chalked out by Rao and Sanjit Singh has further boosted India's chances of getting more berths in the Sydney Olympics as the King's Cup is being treated as the third and final qualifier tournament.

For Rao the victory is more creditable as he beat a tough rival in Phy Ong Chol (Korea) and there was another good news for him. In the fly weight first three boxers will make it to Sydney as there will be a fight off for the third place fly weight.

However for Sanjit to book a berth for Sydney he will have to be a finalist in lt.welter to qualify. The Indian beat Stvie Binalay (Indonesia) in the quarterfinals.

It was a close fly weight bout with both pugilists going head to head. Rao made a good beginning, making his punches count in the first round. But he was forced onto backfoot in the third round as he was severely punished by the Korean and there was some panic in the Indian camp.

The tense final round saw Rao put on a burst of speed and energy, dodging most blows aimed his way. He hit Ong Chol with incisive blows and was able to defend himself in this crucial round. He finally won the bout 9-8 and the Indian contingent breathed a sigh of relief.

Coach G.S. Sandhu later said it was a good fight and a difficult bout. Rao faced the challenge with some great boxing.

After the nailbiting finish in the fly weight, there was no respite for the Indians as light welter bout between Sanjit Singh and Stvie Binalay also went to the rope.

Sanjit got off to a bad start, suffering a punch on the nose in the first nose. The Indian also had a difficult time in settling in and understanding his rival's fighting style which involved a lot of gripping and holding.

The bout degenerated into a melee by the third round as technique was abandoned in favour of landing as many punches as possible.

Surprisingly the referee did not give any warning to the boxers. Sanjit finally overcame his opponent to clinch the bout 15-13. After the bout Sanjit told UNI that coach Sandhu had told him that ``we are equal at the end of the third round, so I went back into the ring with determination. I knew I had to attack him with every thing in me.

Asked about his opponent's technique, Sanjit said ``yes he was holding me repeatedly, but that is for others to see. My job is to fight and that is what I did.''

Coach Sandhu said Sanjit is a boy with a big heart and he is a good fighter. He is a deserving winner.

On Tuesday Asian games gold medallist Ng Dingko Singh faces Bymbabayr (Mongolia) in the bantam weight and Narender Rana takes on Asheri Mohamed (Iran) in lt weight category quarterfinals.

About his bout, Dingko Singh said ``I have seen Bymbabayr fighting and I am ready to take him on. Let us see what happens.''

Sandhu however was cautious and admitted that Tuesday's bouts are going to be hard and tough. ``I am confident that Dingko Singh and Rana will give their best.''

- UNI

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