Olympics 2021: 3 talking points as Ashish Kumar bows out to Erbieke Tuoheta in 75 kg opener
2019 Asian Championships silver medalist Ashish Kumar gave his all in a spirited fight against China's Erbieke Tuoheta before crashing out of Olympics 2021 in Tokyo on Monday. The pugilist hailing from Himachal Pradesh was contesting the preliminary bout in 75 kg, the category in which Vijender Singh had previously brought a medal from the 2008 Olympics.
However, Ashish's efforts were not enough as he became the third male boxer from the contingent to bow out of the quadrennial sporting event after Vikas Krishan and Manish Kaushik.
On that note, here are three talking points from Ashish Kumar's 0-5 loss:
#1 Ashish Kumar struggled with Tuoheta's speed in the first round
Ashish Kumar went all out right from the word go with his superb flurry of jabs and cuts, surprising his opponent who took time to settle down. But once Tuoheta did, it became a different picture.
The two subsequently engaged in a fiery exchange of punches but it was Tuoheta's speed that made a difference. The Chinese star was more agile towards the end of the round, which helped him dominate Ashish Kumar.
The judges too were impressed as all of them voted in favor of the Chinese.
#2 The Chinese was awarded the second round in a debatable decision
A motivated Ashish Kumar got more openings in the second round and kept cornering the Chinese. Evading his punches well, he kept choosing his moments to land clean jabs.
A solid combination of left and right jabs and uppercuts from the Indian seemed to be too much to handle for Tuoheta. The Chinese pugilist was visibly struggling and even got a no holding warning.
But the judges felt Tuoheta was better even in the second round with a unanimous decision going in his favor. A couple of clean jabs on Ashish Kumar's face probably did the trick. Nevertheless, the decision was questioned by many on social media.
#3 Ashish Kumar won 3rd round but it was too little, too late
Both boxers kept up the energy in the final round although Ashish Kumar had huge pressure on his shoulders. After having lost the first two rounds by unanimous decision, only a knockout could save him. Ashish did come up with some good punches and won the third round. But it was not enough to help him continue his journey at the Tokyo Olympics.
Also read: Olympics 2021: 3 reasons why Manish Kaushik lost to Luke McCormack in 63 kg opener