Nishio (Japan), Sep 25 (PTI) India’s Sachin Siwach moved to the men’s 60kg quarterfinals with a scrappy win over Jordan’s Mohammad Adnan Abu Jajeh at the Asian Games here on Friday.
Sachin, who received a first-round bye, started aggressively, landing a series of combinations, but the bout soon turned into a tactical affair, with both boxers relying on counter-attacks. The Indian’s cleaner work earned him the round on three cards.
The second round followed a similar pattern, with the two boxers cancelling out each other’s attacks and waiting for openings.
Jajeh, needing to make up ground, began pressing forward and attacking, giving Sachin opportunities to counter with sharp left-right combinations. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist again edged the round 4-1.
Desperate to turn the bout around, Jajeh came out all guns blazing in the final round, throwing punches in numbers, while Sachin stood his ground and traded blows.
But the Indian appeared to tire in the closing stages, allowing Jajeh to land a few clean punches. Sachin, however, had done enough to secure the split-decision win.
Sachin, now just one win away from a medal, will take on World Championships bronze medallist Shunsuke Kitamoto of Japan in the quarterfinal.
Later in the day, previous edition’s bronze medallist Preeti Pawar will begin her campaign in the women’s 54kg category. PTI APA APA AH
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