Sports News | 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifier: India's Nishant Loses to World C'ships Medallist in Quarters

Busto Arsizio [Italy], March 12 (ANI): India's Nishant Dev went down fighting 1-4 against the 2021 World Championships silver medallist Omari Jones of USA in the men's 71kg quarter-finals at the 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifier in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

A closely fought contest witnessed contrasting first two rounds. Omari dominated the first one effectively using speed to his advantage to secure a perfect 5-0 start.

Also Read | Coach Andrew McDonald Backs Mitchell Marsh To Captain Australia in ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

However, Nishant got himself back and looked more effective as the southpaw delivered some good combinations of left hook and jab in what was an action-packed three minutes which involved a lot of holding and grappling. Omari relied on the counter-attack but it was Nishant who secured the second round with a 4-1 scoreline.

The final round was intense as Nishant continued his aggressive display and took an early advantage.

Also Read | Indian Wells Open 2024: Novak Djokovic Crashes Out in Third Round After Shocking Defeat Against Luca Nardi.

Both the boxers looked tired as the round progressed but Jones made the most use of the final 60 seconds with some effective punches, tilting the decision of the match in his favour.

With Nishant's loss, India stands at four quotas for the Paris Olympic Games 2024 with Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) confirming their berths with impressive performances at the Asian Games.

The Indian boxers will get another opportunity to secure the Paris Olympics quotas through the second World Qualification Tournament, to be held in Bangkok from May 23 to June 3. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)