Glasgow: Laishram Devendro Singh played true to his aggressive self as he outclassed Ashley Williams of Wales in a thrilling contest to book a place in the final of the men's lightfly weight (46-49kg) category at the 20th Commonwealth Games.
22-year-old Devendro won a 3-0 unanimous verdict against his opponent in a bout which kept the packed crowd on the edge of their seats. The Indian was the dominant of the two boxers while the Welshman was left to defend most of the time. Devendro played in his characteristic fashion attacking from the word go and landed two full-blooded left hooks on Williams in the first round.
In the second round, the Manipuri sent a ferocious left and right on the Welshman who fell on the floor on the impact of the punchs. A dazed-looking Williams, however, got up and to his credit kept on coming all the time despite the incessant blows he got from the Indian.
All the three judges gave identical 30-27 30-27 30-27 points in favour of Devendro. After his win, Devendro said he wanted to finish the bout
as soon as possible. "It was a high tempo bout and I had wanted to finish it as soon as possible. But he kept on coming. I am happy that I am through to the final. I will now prepare for the final," said Devendro, who got a hug from his elder sister L Sarita Devi, who also just won her semifinal bout.
Coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said that Devendro kept himself under control in the bout against a tough opponent. "The best thing about Devendro today was that he kept his control against a tempo boxer who kept on coming. He scored points even while keeping his defence tight. After the second round we did not coach him anything because we wanted him to relax so that nothing untoward happens in the final round," said Sandhu.
