Indian pugilist Manoj Kumar secured his berth for the forthcoming Rio Olympics after advancing to the semifinals of the men's light welter 64 Kg category at the World Qualification event here on Thursday.
The 29-year-old displayed a superior performance, thumping Tajikistan's Rakhimov Shavkatdzhon 3-0 in the quarterfinal round. He will next face European champion Pat McCormack of Britain in the semifinal on Friday.
With the win, Manoj became the second boxer after Shiva Thapa (56kg) to make the cut for the Rio Games.
Two other Indian wrestlers - Devendro Singh Laishram (49 kg) and Sumit Sangwan (91 kg) are also in contention to qualify for the Olympics.
