Beijing, Aug 22: The stars had ordained Olympics glory for him even before Vijender Singh landed his first punch against Cuba’s Emilio Correa Bayeaux. He lost the bout 8-5 but still marked the re-birth of the golden era in Indian boxing. It is the first time India will have three ... ...in its tally, a gargantuan step in the promotion of sports in the country.

The first round saw him trail by 2-0 as the aggressive Cuban seemed to be on top of his game. The second round saw him claw back a bit to 4-3 with some hard hitting jabs. The third round saw things going tough for him as the Cuban took a 7-3 lead. The last round saw a flurry of punches that took the total to 8-5 but it was too late to come back into the match.

After Abhinav Bindra's gold-winning feat during the first week of the sporting extravaganza, Vijender had put himself on course for a silver or gold medal on a historic day for Indian sports but it could not materialize.

India had won two Olympic medals in the 1952 Helsinki Games when the hockey team won gold medal and wrestler KD Jadhav won a bronze medal, a record which stood untouched for 56 long years.

Vijender made sure India got its first-ever boxing medal and also made it the first occasion that an Indian contingent will return home from an Olympic Games with more than two medals.

Vijender Singh made up for the disappointment of Akhil Kumar and Jitender Singh not making it to the medal round by ensuring at least the bronze.

With an assured bronze medal, India's middleweight boxer Vijender Kumar takes on Cuba's Emilio Correa Bateaux today in Beijing.

The Bhiwani pugilist has impressed everyone with his technique, which he has exploited well with the right mix of a solid defence and aggression. If he manages to win today, he will cruise into the final of 75kg boxing event.

However, even if he does not make the final cut, Vijender will still get a bronze, as according to the rules, both losers of the semifinals are given bronze medals.

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Name: Vijender Kumar
Country: India
Event: Middleweight (75kg) boxing event

Vijender's journey to semis:

In the Round of 32: Beat G J Badou Jack 13:2

Vijender Kumar beat Jack Badou of Gambia in the 75-kg bout to advance to the second round but that was just a glimpse of what was about to come.

In the Round of 16: Beat Angkhan Chomphuphuang 13:3

Vijender Kumar stormed into the quarterfinals of 75kg middleweight event of the Beijing Olympics after overwhelming Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand 13-3 in a lop-sided pre-quarterfinal bout. Vijender attacked from the word 'go' and dominated the middleweight bout. His sharp reflexes and height didnot allow the Thai pugilist to overpower him in any of the four rounds.

In the quarterfinals: Beat Carlos Gongora 9:4

Vijender Kumar beat Ecuador's Carlos Gongora 9-4 in the quarterfinal. After Akhil Kumar and Jitnder Kumar disappointed, Vijender Kumar held his nerves and outplayed Gongora. With his sharp reflexes and sound defense, he did not allow his opponent to gain points.

On the other hand, Cuba's Emilio Correa Bateaux has been on his toes throughout his journey to the semifinals. In the Round of 32 and Round of 16, Emilio was lethal and drubbed his opponents 17:4 and 18:4 in the respective rounds. In the quarterfinals, he beat Elshod Rasulov 9:7.

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Name: Emilio Correa Bateaux
Country: Cuba
Event: Middleweight (75kg) boxing event
Journey to semifinals:

In the Round of 32: Beat Jarrod Fletcher 17:4
In the Round of 16: Beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko 18:4
In the quarterfinals: Beat Elshod Rasulov 9:7

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