L.P. Prasad (49 kg) clinched the only gold for India at the 33rd International Tammer youth boxing tournament, beating England’s Jack Bateson in the final at Tampere, Finland.
The 17-year-old put up a sterling performance against Bateson to bag his first international medal.
Dheeraj Singh (52 kg), however, had to settle for a silver after losing to Elie Konki of France. In the final, Bateson, a European youth championship quarterfinalist, did not allow the Indian to set the pace.
After the opening three minutes, both boxers were 3-3. In the second round, Prasad managed to break through the English boxer’s defence to take a slender lead (8-7).
In the final round, Prasad launched an all-out attack to win the bout 14-10. “It was a tough fight, but I stuck to my strategy. It paid off pretty well,” said Prasad.
