Manish Kaushik (63kg) signed off with a bronze medal in his maiden World Men's Boxing Championship in Ekaterinburg in Russia on Friday, 20 September.
Commonwealth Games silver-winner Kaushik lost 0-5 to top-seeded Cuban Andy Gomez Cruz, a gold-medallist from the previous edition besides being the reigning Pan-American Games champion, in the semi-final.
“I gave it my all but I guess there are a few things lacking in my game, which I will try to improve on. I will work harder and deliver better results in the coming tournaments.”Manish Kaushik
In the bout, Kaushik struggled to keep up with the Cuban, whose counter-attacking game was simply outstanding
Kaushik did get a few body punches through but couldn't fend off the counter-strikes that came his way in all the three rounds.
Panghal and Kaushik's performances have already made this India's best showing at the men's Boxing Worlds. India have only won four bronze medals before this and not more than one medal in each edition.
The duo's performances that earned them a spot at the semi-finals sealed their places in next year's Olympic qualifiers with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) stating earlier that those pugilists who win medals at the Worlds will be automatic picks for the qualifiers.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)