London Olympics: Devendro Singh explodes into quarters

LONDON: The 2009 world champion from Mongolia, who got a bye in the previous round, came into the round of 16 bout smug with a belief that it wouldn't be too much of a problem to overcome the unseeded Indian boxer.
Laishram Devendro Singh had other ideas. The pint-sized dynamo from Manipur stunned the 2008 Beijing Games silver medallist Serdamba Purevdorj to move into the quarterfinals of the men's light-fly (49kg) category at the Olympics on Saturday.
The 16-11 result was for a change an accurate description of the ferocity of Devendro's attack that took Purevdorj by complete surprise. With this win at the ExCel arena, Devendro has put himself just one win away from a bronze medal.
The 20-year-old faces Paddy Barnes of Ireland in the next round. Devendro started from where he left in his opening bout and kept Purevdorj under pressure by adopting an aggressive attitude.
The Indian, who got an RSC in his favour in the previous round, was quick in his footwork. The fourth-seeded Mongolian found his punches too fast to handle as he was brought down to the canvas twice in the bout.
With a combination of left and right punches, Devendro seized the early initiative by taking a 4-3 lead in the opening round.