AIBA Olympic Qualifiers | Devendro Singh storms into quarters; Manoj Kumar enters last-16

Fourth-seed Devendro Singh, who got a bye in the opening round, defeated Argentina's Leandro Blanc 3-0 in the one-sided contest to enter the last-eight. The 24-year-old, who needs to enter the final to book a place in the Olympics, will next face South Africa's Sibusiso Bandla.

Speaking to PTI after Devendro’s bout, national coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu seemed happy with the effort of the boxer and said that Devendro was “brilliant in all three rounds”.

"Devendro used his right straights and left hook punches in brilliant combination. His uppercut was also very good and precise. In the second round, he somehow twisted his foot but managed to handle the situation on his own. He was brilliant in all three rounds and won the bout unanimously," coach Sandhu told PTI.

Also read: Sumit Sangwan enters last-16 of AIBA Olympic Qualifiers

Manoj Kumar, on the other hand, entered the last-16 stage of the tournament after registering a 3-0 upset victory over second-seed Mohamed Eslam Ahmed Aly of Egypt. Unlike Devendro, Manoj Kumar only needs a place in the last four to earn the ticket to Rio. He will next face Bulgaria's Ayrin Smetov Ismetov in the pre-quarter-final bout tomorrow.

"Manoj put up a superb show, one of the best of his career. He was very sensible, I have never seen him this calm and measured in his approach. He kept his opponent at long range, totally avoided close contact with Mohamed," Sandhu said.

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