India will be without an Olympic boxing medal for the first time in eight years, after Vikas Krishan took a pounding from the second-seed Uzbek Bektemir Melikuziev in the 75kg quarterfinals.
Vikas, an Asian Games gold medalist, was no match for the world No.3 Melikuziev, as he hesitated in opening an attack for most part of the first round while Melikuziev scored at will with his lethal left hand.
The second round was even worse for the Indian, as Melikuziev gained firm control of the bout, also using his right jab to good effect. In fact, one such blow led to Vikas spitting his gum-shield out and even before he could recover, a left hook from Melikuziev had left him dazed.
Such was the power and precision of Melikuziev's hitting, that two of the judges ruled 10-8 in his favour in the second round. Vikas completely lost the plot in the final three minutes, struggling to keep his balance after the pounding he took in the first two rounds. In the end, it was a stroll for the 20-year-old Melikuziev, who was hitting at will against a near stationary Vikas.
"It was pretty tight in the first round and I thought I got some good punches away," Vikas said after the bout. "I thought I should have been given the first round. His confidence went up after getting the decision and he started dominating.
"I've always struggled a bit against southpaws. In India, it's difficult to find southpaws to practice against. Probably five per cent of the boxers are southpaws in India. I had planned to stay away from his left and counter. My strategy was successful in the first round. Because of my lack of training against southpaws, I found it difficult to defend against his punches."
With Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) already out of contention, Vikas' loss ended India's boxing challenge in Rio, meaning Vijender Singh (75kg) remains the only Indian male boxer to have won an Olympic medal; Mary Kom had won bronze at the 2012 London Games.