Boxer Devendro enters SAG semis

Boxer Devendro Singh trounced a hapless Tashi Wangdi of Bhutan 3:0 in the men's 49 kg category to become the first Indian to enter the semi-finals of the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) here on Saturday.

Right from the start of the first round, Devendro attacked Tashi relentlessly and also made the referee give the Bhutanese boxer a standing count of eight. Devendro scored at will and ended Round 1 with a score of 10:9.

In the third round, the referee gave a second standing count to the Tashi due to hard blows to the head by Devendro. The bout ended with Devendro winning by a score of 3:0.

Asian champion Shiva Thapa (56 kg) drubbd Nepal's Shrestha Dinesh by 3:0.

Vikas Krishnan was up against Jony Jewel of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi was taken by surprise with the aggressive approach adopted by Vikas. The 22-year-old did not waste any time taking the attack to Jony; his lightening combinations coupled with his swift ring movement helped him gain a clear advantage.

Jony suffered a defeat in the quarter-final by Technical Knock-Out (TKO) in the first round to bow out of the tournament.