CHENNAI: There’s a certain charm about underdogs who punch above their weight to give a gutsy performance. Boxer Satish Kumar delivered a quintessential underdog’s performance in the men’s +91 kg bout on Sunday.
Facing World No 1 Bakhodir Jalolov, the quarterfinal bout was always going to be a mammoth test for the Indian. Moreover, he was not 100 per cent after having suffered a knock in his opening bout; a few stitches were required to deal with his injuries. And yet, he fought as though his life depended on the bout, enduring jaw-crunching blows, landing some heavy punches of his own.
It was clear as daylight that his much-taller opponent, a southpaw, was more refined. Satish — who was making his Olympic debut in Tokyo — was relentless, keeping him on his toes. But Jalolov showed why he’s the top seed, keeping Satish at bay and delivering some heavy counters. Despite Satish’s attacking display, Jalolov had done enough to pocket the opener.
The tale was more or less the same in the second essay. Sensing that he’s behind, Satish continued to approach the contest with an attacking frame of mind. Punch after punch, he continued to make his rival dance around. Yet again, Jalolov calmly held firm, soaking in the pressure and delivering a heavy right hand of his own. From India’s perspective, Satish was winning hearts but his gladiator-like fight was not enough to appeal to the judges, who voted in the Uzbek pugilist’s favour.
In the decider, the boxers generally tend to tire out. Even though Satish had done plenty of legwork in the earlier rounds, he continued to chase his evasive rival. The contest was more or less out of his hands, but the Army man was not backing down. He eventually lost the bout 0-5, but had earned the admiration of Jalolov. After the customary end-of-the-bout ceremony, the Uzbek boxer raised the ropes at Satish’s corner, as a mark of respect, for Satish to exit.
India high performance director, Santiago Nieva, was understandably disappointed with the result but took heart from Satish’s performance. “Satish had the speed advantage and he was hoping to put pressure on him (Jalolov). That was our hope, but his opponent was too good. He used his reach very well and was punching very hard. Of course, Satish was able to land a few accurate punches here and there, but it was difficult,” he said. “He (Satish) was saying it was hard to apply the pressure that he wanted. He also wanted to play on the counter but after losing the opening round, waiting for counters was not the option. It was difficult for him to execute the game plan,” he added.
Before the start, Nieva was aware of the enormity of the task ahead of Satish. The injury that he suffered — he was forced to take a few stitches near his eye and his chin — made his task even harder. Despite recovering, he had been in discomfort for the last few days. “The Olympic medical authorities were at it and were helpful. He required a few stitches and put glue on. He had swelling because of the use of anesthesia, but that improved bit by bit. Obviously, he had that disturbing feeling because of some amount of pain,” Nieva said.
Satish had made a steady recovery and the team had finalised only on Saturday that they’d challenge Jalolov and try to secure the medal. “It healed pretty well. We always have to take into consideration the boxer’s health. We all sat together yesterday (Saturday) and decided that we’ll go for the bout and give our best. Satish passed the medical examination in the morning, and we were good to go.” Satish, who became the only male boxer from the country to win a fight in Tokyo, couldn’t get a medal, but he can walk away with pride.