India’s Jai Bhagwan (60 kg) needs just one win to book a berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after he defeated Vasil Qazishvili of Georgia 23-16.
The Indian lightweight boxer needs to beat Colombian Darley Perez in the next round to confirm his place at the Olympic Games next year
CHICAGO: India’s Jai Bhagwan (60 kg) needs just one win to book a berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after he defeated Vasil Qazishvili of Georgia 23-16 at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago.
The other Indian in action Sunday, Dilbag Singh (69 kg), however, bowed out of the competition, going down 9-22 to Zoran Mitrovic of Serbia.
The Indian lightweight champion Jai Bhagwan next meets Colombian Darley Perez who defeated Oleksandr Kluychko of Ukraine 13-10.
Jai Bhagwan was a winner on all the five judges’ cards, though at least two of them scored it as a close bout while the remaining three gave the Indian a handsome win.
Jai Bhagwan is the third Indian to move into the last 16 of the competition, joining compatriots Jitender Kumar (51 kg) and Anthresh Lalit Lakra (57 kg). All three are one win away from confirming their tickets to the Chinese capital.
India had sent an eight-member squad to Chicago of which five have so far lost their respective bouts to go out of contention but can still make it to Beijing through other Asian qualifying tournaments.
Asia has a quota of 68 in the Olympic boxing competition. How many are left for the other tournaments will be decided only after the Olympic qualifiers are confirmed here.
All quarter-finalists in the different 11 weight categories at the championships qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The Indian pugilists’ Beijing berths will be decided on Tuesday afternoon, when Jitender
faces Georgy Balakshin of Russia, Lakra takes on Shahin Imranov of Azerbaijan and Jai Bhagwan fights Kluychko.
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