Rio Olympics: Vikas Krishan one step away from medal, thrash Turkey's Onder Sipal to enter QFs

Rio de Janeiro: Former Asian champion Vikas Krishan displayed ruthless efficiency and tactical brilliance as he thrashed Turkey’s Onder Sipal 3-0 to storm into the quarterfinal of 75 kg category and is now one win away from the Olympic boxing medal. Vikas will now face Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan. After the win, the Indian said, “If I beat the Uzbek in the semifinal then I promise, I will win the gold. One thing is sure that I will go back to India either with gold or without a medal.” The 24-year-old pugilist from Haryana went into the bout with well thought out strategy and he executed the plan with clinical precision giving his opponent no chance what so ever in three rounds. The Indian looked confident and dominating in the first round in which Sipal suffered a slight injury above his right eye. The Turk came back after a mild treatment but by then he had lost that eagerness and energy to take on the Indian. The second round was no different as Sipal became defensive and mainly tried to avoid direct contact 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. Vikas had beaten Sipal in an international meet in Baku. “I was confident of beating him, because I had won against him earlier,” he said The Indian admitted that his next round is going to be the toughest. “Bektethemir Melikuziev has beaten me in the final of the 2015 Asian Championships,” Vikas said. Melikuziev is the 2015 World Championship silver medalist and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games champion. The Uzbek, who was named 2015's Best Male Boxer by the Asian Boxing Confederation, defeated Daniel Lewis of Australia in his pre-quarters bout. “If I overcome this hurdle then I will win the gold,“ Vikas said. Asked whether he still remembers the way he was eliminated in the 2012 London Olympics and his reply was, “That was four years ago and I have virtually forgotten that episode. I am looking ahead with confidence.“ 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.