Vietnamese boxer off to great Olympics start

By Lam Thoa   July 24, 2021 | 05:03 am PT
Vietnamese boxer off to great Olympics start
Nguyen Van Duong (R) throws a right hook at Alyev Tayfur in an Olympics boxing match in Tokyo on July 24, 2021. Photo by AFP.
Nguyen Van Duong defeated Azerbaijani Alyev Tayfur in his first boxing match at Tokyo Olympics Saturday evening.

Duong entered the match with confidence but, in the first round, suffered Tayfur’s effective dodges. At the end of the round, Duong threw a heavy right hook into Tayfur’s face. The Azerbaijani boxer floored and the referee had to count, though he got up.

However, Tayfur ended the first round with a higher score than Duong. After the coach adjusted his strategy in the second round, a fired-up Duong landed a series of accurate strikes to win the round.

In the decisive third round, a tired Duong allowed Tayfur to dominate, despite a few right hooks. By the end of the round, a prematurely celebrating Tayfur seemed confident of victory.

However, when the total score was announced, Duong turned out the winner. Three referees had given Duong 29 points each, while the other two handed him 28. Tayfur got two 29s, two 28s and one 27.

Duong will encounter his next bout against Mongolian boxer Erdenebat Tsendbaatar on July 28.

In the first day of the Olympics, four Vietnamese athletes Hoang Xuan Vinh (shooting), Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (taekwondo), and Dinh Phuong Thanh and Le Thanh Tung (gymnastics) have been eliminated.

Vietnam sent 18 athletes to the tournament to compete in 11 sports.

Nguyen Van Duong defeats Azerbaijani Alyev Tayfur at Tokyo Olympics, July 24, 2021.

 
 
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