The Indian Glory Prevails...

Kumar rejoices in 'gift' to India after shock win
1 day ago

BEIJING (AFP) — Indian boxer Akhil Kumar marked his country's Independence Day in style with a stunning upset Olympic win over world bantamweight champion Sergey Vodopyanov, saying it was a "gift to the nation".

"I knew I would win," said Kumar who got the nod from the judges after holding the Russian to 9-9 over four rounds.

"I had said earlier that I will and I have done it," added Kumar now into the quarter-finals of the Beijing tournament.

"It was really difficult to stage a comeback after going 6-4 down. But I had faith in my God.

"Today is India's Independence Day. I have given a gift to the nation in the shape of victory. I won today because of the prayers of the nation."

Vodopyanov had cemented his status as favourite for the 54kg gold medal with a 10-5 win over 2007 world bronze medallist in the preceding round.

And when the Russian was 6-4 up after two rounds, Kumar's hopes of making it through to the quarter-finals did not look great.

But by the end of the third the 27-year-old, who two years ago won the Commonwealth bantamweight title, was just a point behind and his 2-1 victory in the fourth and final round levelled the bout.

The verdict then went to the judges who ruled in favour of Kumar, out for most of 2007 with a career-threatening wrist injury.

Kumar, who admitted he'd been "quite boastful", insisted he'd always believed he would win, despite facing a high-class boxer in Vodopyanov.

"A lot of people asked me why I am so confident even before a fight against a world champion. It's because I have faith in my God. It's all because my God was with me that I have won.

"Otherwise, it was such a close bout. I could have lost also."

Buoyed by his success Kumar, who faces Moldova's Veaceslav Gojan, the conqueror of China's Gu Yu, in the last eight, said he now had just the one aim in sight.

"No silver or bronze, but I will be fighting for the gold. It will be my luck if I get a bronze or a silver but I will be fighting only for the gold."

He added: "I have been quite boastful, which I should not because anything can happen.

"If you can win against a world champion, you can also lose to a rookie. But my target is nothing but the gold."