Indian boxers have created history by winning a record haul of 10 medals, including four gold, in the Invitation FXTM International Boxing Cup held in Limassol, Cyprus.
Pugilists Madan Lal (52kg), V Durga Rao (56kg), Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and Praveen Kumar (+91kg) won gold while Manoj Kumar (64kg), Dinesh Kumar (91kg) and Sukhdeep Singh (75kg) had to be satisfied with silver medals.
This is also the first time Indian boxers have managed to win a tournament on the European circuit.
Earlier in the tournament, Anil Kumar (60kg), Jagroop Singh (81kg) and L Devendro Singh (49kg) had crashed out in the semifinals and ended up with a bronze each.
It was a heart break for Manoj Kumar as the Olympian and 2010 Commonwealth Games champion lost to Abdelkader Chadi of Algeria in the final of 64kg category.
Both the boxers started cautiously, waiting for the other to make the move but in the end it was the Algerian boxer who dominated the first round. Manoj came back strongly to win the second, but Chadi's precise attacks helped him maintain the overall advantage in the final round. Ultimately the Indian lost the bout by 3 points.
Reigning national champion, Madan Lal was up against Ayigah Dodsi from Belgium in the first match. He started strongly to register an early lead. Lal's sharp combinations of straight punches and hooks helped him gain a 5 point lead at the end of the first round.
In the second, the Belgium boxer tried to make a comeback but the 21-year-old Indian was up to the challenge. Lal quickly changed his strategy and relied more on counter attacks in the final two rounds and went on to bag the fly weight title with consummate ease in the end.
