Rohit Tokas earned bronze in the men's boxing 67kg division at the Commonwealth Games, losing to Stephen Zimba of Zambia in a closely contested semifinal.
This is India's third medal in boxing so far at CWG 2022, although more boxers are vying for gold later.
Rohit Tokas was forced onto the backfoot from the beginning of the bout, with the Indian looking a bit surprised by the explosives of Zimba. The Zambian caught Rohit with a couple of combination punches but as the bout progressed the 29-yr-old Indian grew back into it. Zimba won the first round by a 3-2 split decision
The second round descended into a slugfest at the end, with a clash of heads requiring Rohit to get some treatment after the bell. The score at the end was a level 2-2.
Zimba's right hook proved to be a huge advantage in the third round as he inflicted plenty of damage on Rohit. However, the Indian kept at it Rohit caught his opponent in the face, forcing the referee to call for a standing eight count against Zimba. At the end of the bout, Zimba sank to his knees as his victory was announced with a 3-2 split decision, with four of five judges giving Zimba the last round.
Earlier, Tokas comfortably defeated Alfred Kotey of Ghana by a 5-0 scoreline, winning every round to book his place in the quarterfinal. There, he faced Xavier Mata'afa-Ikinofo of Niue, winning every round en route to an unanimous 5-0 decision to confirm a medal for himself.
