The Hindu : Ramanand scores a knockout

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 08, 2004

Sport

Sport - Boxing

Ramanand scores a knockout

India's Ramanand knocks out Dhan Bhadur of Nepal in the 60-kg category finals.

NEW DELHI, FEB. 7. Ramanand produced the knockout punch that everyone must have been looking for the past four days. The Indian won the senior lightweight title sending Nepalese Dhan Bahadur down on the canvas as the ninth YMCA international boxing championships concluded at the Jai Singh Road hostel complex here on Saturday.

It was slow-moving action to begin with when Ramanand and Dhan Bahadur squared up. When the big punch came from Ramanand, at the beginning of the second round, Bahadur obviously had no clue as to what happened. He took that power-packed right from the Indian flush on the jaw, stood there for a moment when the referee began to count and then went falling over the referee. The doctor was called in and even Ramanand helped the referee in holding his rival till help came. Bahadur recovered in time to hug his conqueror as the announcement came.

It was announced as K. O. (head), though technically it should have been referee-stopped contest (head) since the Turkmenistan official had not stopped counting. He did not have the time of course, for help had to be summoned quickly enough to save the boxer.

Though Ramanand's victory was spectacular, India suffered quite a few blows this day, though expectedly it took all the team titles. The foreign challenge in many of the weight categories was minimal.

In the light flyweight final, the host must have had some reason to complain with the verdict handed out by the judges. Thailand's Noppadon Kongchana and the home team's Suranjay Singh were tied 44-44 at the end of a furious, bruising fight that saw punches traded with clockwork precision. The Thai won on a count back of individual scores, at 149-139, though Suranjay seemed to have held the edge almost throughout. His `best loser' award must have been little consolation in the end.

The Indian camp also had some grouse against the 27-24 verdict that was handed out against S. Suresh Singh in the flyweight final, with the winner., Bonix J. Saweho of Indonesia eventually emerging as the `boxer of the championship'. The Indonesian, a SEA Games champion in 2001 in a lower weight category, was good against a rather subdued Suresh, whose lightning footwork and combination punching, so evident in the semifinal on Friday night, were not much on view.

A. L. Lakra, in the featherweight final was a gallant loser to Thai Yudthapong Morthaisong. He in fact led 6-3 and 11-10 in the first two rounds before the classy Thai asserted himself in the third (24-20) and ran away a deserving winner at 33-28.

The results (all finals):

Sub-juniors: C-5 (Up to 14 years, 42kg): Sunil Shukla (Ind-Red) bt A Cilow Azizbek (Tkm-B) 32-20; B-10 (up to 15,57kg) Dilbag Singh (Ind-Red) bt Omar (Tkm) 22-11; A-11 (up to 16, 60kG): Kshindra Kumar Singh (Ind-Red) bt Rhslan (Tkm) 27-10. Team championship: 1. India-Red, 2. Turkmenistan. Best boxer: Kshindra Kumar Singh; Best loser: A Cilow Azizbek. Most promising: Raghim Owezow (Tkm).

Juniors: 48kg: Balbir Singh (Ind-Red) bt Sahatov (Tkm) retd 2nd roundl; 51kg: Aitessamuddin (Ind-Green) bt Hudaybrdiev (Tkm) 15-11; 54kg: Manoj Kumar (Ind-Red) bt Devendra (Nep) 38-16; 57kg: Narender (Ind-Green) bt Khavdja Moheb Shah (Afg) 20-12; 60kg: Sonu Chahal (Ind-Green) bt Karadzaev (Tkm) 28-27; 64kg: Sawan Kumar (Ind- Red) bt Sandeep Kumar (Ind-Green) 28-17; 69kg: Virender (Ind-red) bt J. Hadi Abdul (Qat) 23-6; 75kg: Yunus Ahmedov (Tkm) bt Krishna Kumar (Ind-Red) 12-9; 81kg: Krishan Sharma (Ind-Red) bt Mohammed Mosha (Qat) RSC 3rd round. Team championship: 1. India (red), 2. Turkmenistan. Best boxer: Sonu Chahal; Best loser: Karadzaev. Most promising: Mohammed Mosha.

Seniors: 48kg: Noppadon Kongchana (Tha) bt Suranjay Singh (Ind-Red) 44-44 (149-139); 51kg: Bonix J. Saweho (Ina) bt S. Suresh Singh (Ind-Red) 27-24; 54kg: Worapoj Phetkhum (Tha) bt Bijendra (Ind-Red) RSC 2nd round; 57kg: Yudthapong Morthaisong (Tha) bt A. L. Lakra (Ind-Red) 33-28; 60kg: Ramanand (Ind-Red) bt Dhan Bahadur (Nep) K. O. 2nd round; 64kg: Vijender Kumar (Ind-Red) bt M. Michael (Mri) 31-20; 69kg: B. A. Asker (Tkm) bt Sanjay Kumar (Ind-Green) RSC 2nd round; 75kg: Joet Jean (Sey) bt M. Shovket (Tkm) 26-19; 91kg: V. Johnson (Ind-Red) w.o. Y. Abdel (Tkm). Team championship: 1. India (Red), 2. Thailand. Best boxer: Nopadon Kongchana; Best loser: Suranjay Singh. Most promising: Joet Jean. Boxer of the championships: Bonix J. Saweho.

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