Prasad strikes gold at Finnish boxing tourney

LP Prasad (49kg) clinched the only gold for India at the 33rd International Tammer Youth Boxing Tournament, beating England’s Jack Bateson in the final in Tampere, Finland. The 17-year-old put up a sterling performance against Bateson to emerge victorious and bag his first international medal. But Dheeraj Singh (52kg), the other Indian in the fray in finals,  had to make do with a silver after losing to Elie Konki of France. In the finals, Bateson, a European Youth Championship quarter-finalist, did not allow the Services boxer to set early pace. In the first round, both the boxers ended up with three points apiece. In the second round though, Prasad took control to take a 8-7 lead. In the final round, he went all-out offensive to take the game away from Bateson. He won 14-10.