A Bronze, Then

A bronze it will have to be, after all.

Vijender Kumar went where no Indian has gone before, he fought with skill and heart, he won three bouts without being troubled. But in the semifinals of the 75kg boxing event, he ran into a Cuban wall.

Emilio Correa Bayeaux was clearly the superior boxer at the Workers Stadium-- he possesses a lightning left jab and a murderous right punch. He`s light on his feet, moves in for the kill and springs back in the flash of the eye. He seems to be a great bet for the gold.

In his previous three bouts, Bayeaux had won 17-4, 18-4, 9-7 -- clearly, he`s a puncher who racks up points faster than most. His strategy against Vijender was simple-- hit and run, and run hard. 

Bayeaux fired in the first punches of the fight and scored with a right to Vijender`s face. Vijender stood his ground, though he was restricted to evading the punches raining at him. Bayeaux scored once more and then concentrated on staying away, leaping back with quick springs.

Vijender scored first in the second round with a right to the face, and Bayeaux hit back with a fine combination. The Indian, though won the round 3-2, narrowing the gap to 3-4 overall.

This was the closest he got. Bayeaux simply raised his game a couple of notches and took the third round 3-0. Vijender was going for points and was vulnerable to the counter from Bayeaux, who used his left jab with precision and to devastating effect. He closed the round with a brutal right to the face just before the bell sounded.

The Indians in the stands still had hope, though it was evaporating quickly, for Vijender was up against a superior force.

From here on, Vijender needed a knockout. But Bayeaux is as adept at defence as at attack-- he stayed out of the Indian`s reach, guarded himself with his right and struck on the counter with that deadly left jab. Vijender won the round 2-1, but the result of the bout was never in doubt - 8-5 to the boxer in the red from Cuba.

Bayeaux, a huge grin on his face, was barely panting after the fight as he he rested his arms on the ropes-- he winked at the camera and kissed his fist as his coaches congratulated him.

Vijender, in the embrace of his coaches, simply shook his head -- he knows that he`s a very good fighter himself, that he has the skills to beat Bayeaux, but today was not to be that day.