Manoj, Sumit inch closer to Oly berth; enter QFs of Qualifiers

Baku (Azerbaijan):, Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) stood just one win away from making the cut for Rio Olympics after advancing to the quarterfinals of the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) World Qualifying Tournament, here on Tuesday.
While Manoj got the better of Bulgaria’s Ismetov Ayrin Smetov 2-1, Sumit stormed past Sandagsuren Erdenebayar of Mongolia 3-0. Both of them will have to win their quarterfinal bouts on Thuursday to be assured of an Olympic berth.
Manoj was the first to take the ring and he rallied to beat Ismetov in his pre-quarterfinal contest. The Indian fought back after losing the opening round against an aggressive rival. (PTI)