Boxer Vikas through to quarters, closes in on Olympic berth

Former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) became the third Indian boxer to enter the quarter-finals of the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Baku and be just one win away from booking a berth in the Rio Games this August.

Seeded second in his draw, Vikas out-witted Georgia's Kvachatadze Zaal 3-0 late on Tuesday night to advance to the last-eight stage where he will take on Korea's Lee Dongyun.

"Vikas dominated all three rounds and did not have to work too hard for this win. The Georgian guy tried his best but Vikas kept his composure. In the end it was easy for him," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.

Vikas, a former World Championships bronze-medallist, joined Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) in the quarter-finals. All three have to make the semis to book an Olympic berth besides being assured of a medal.

Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg), seeded fourth, is through to the semifinals but has to be in the summit clash of his weight category to clinch a Rio spot.

After a rest day, Vikas, Manoj and Sumit will compete in their respective quarter-final bouts. Devendro, on the other hand, will be seen in action on Friday.