Dusmatov out-boxes Martinez for light-flyweight gold

Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov gave a how-to boxing tutorial to Colombia's Yuberjen Martinez to win the light-flyweight gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

In a much-anticipated bout on Sunday, Dusmatov moved around the ring quickly and well, kept his guard up in the face of Martinez's punches and earned a unanimous favorable decision by the three judges, thus becoming the first Uzbek to grab a gold in Rio so far this year, reports Efe.

The 23-year-old Dusmatov, who had won the gold at the Asian Championships in 2015, was the more active of the pair in the first round as he probed Martinez's defenses, while the Colombian seemed to be a little tentative, despite the roars of the huge South American contingent of fans who were on hand for the match.

The Colombian, 24, an elegant boxer, picked up his tempo in the second round but the Uzbek was better on the counterattack, setting the pace for the fight, which was not a slugfest but rather a calculating and careful affair.

Sensing a victory, Dusmatov often danced away from Martinez in the third round, and although the 24-year-old Colombian knew he needed a telling round to get the win, he was not able to manufacture the combinations needed and had to settle for the silver.

Cuba's Joahnys Argilagos and US boxer Nico Hernandez, both of whom had lost in the semifinals, won the bronze medals.

Meanwhile, the Colombian government will present Martinez with "the house Yuberjen has dreamed of" in light of his silver-medal win at the Games, according to what Housing, Urban and Territorial Minister Elsa Noguera said on Twitter.

Local television showed Martinez weeping and speechless after being informed that Bogota will give him the home for his mother, as per a wish that he had always expressed before each of his bouts.

--IANS

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