The 24-year-old Vikas won a unanimous 3-0 points decision from the judges as he beat Sipal Onder of Turkey, in the pre-quarterfinals.
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Talking about his upcoming match against second seed Uzbekistan’s boxer Bektemir Melikuziev, the seventh-seeded Indian boxer said, “I have lost one match against him in the Asian Championship. If I play my natural game, I won’t lose”, he said. He is just one win away from a medal. The second round was no different as Sipal took a defensive stance and tried to keep a distance to avoid Vikas’ jabs.
There was no let up in Vikas’s fury as he collected points with clever hits and at the same time was cautious enough to thwart Sipal’s counter punches.
The Indian admitted that his next round is going to be the toughest.
The Asian Games gold medallist and World championship bronze medallist put himself closer to his prediction by reaching the quarterfinals of the middleweight class at the Riocentro Pavilion on Friday.
After Shiva Thapa was knocked out by Ramirez of Cuba, much of India’s medal hopes in boxing was expected to be shouldered by Vikas Krishan, who had dispatched highly rated American boxer Charles Conwell in the round of 32.
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In the 2012 London Games, Vikas was eliminated in the preliminary round, after his win in the welterweight bout against USA’s Errol Spence was overturned.
