TOKYO, Japan, Jul 24 – Hit squad skipper Nick Okoth’s hopes for an Olympic medal fell off after a tight loss to Mongolian Erdenebat Tsendbaatar in their round of 32 featherweight duel in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon.
Okoth lost on a split decision on points, scoring 3-2 in a duel that was too close to call.
In a cagey opening round of the three-round bout, the Mongolian managed to pick the most spots and score more points, earning a maximum score from the three judges while two gave Okoth the maximum score of 10.
In the second round, the Kenyan skipper bounced back from the slow start and used his strong right hand jab with his wide reach to ensure he picked a maximum points score from three judges, while two gave the Mongolian a maximum score.
In the third round, with coach Benjamin Musa urging him on to take advantage of the Mongolian’s fatigue, Okoth couldn’t keep his jabs coming as the Mongolian just but managed to outscore Okoth with three of the judges giving him a 10 while only two gave the Kenyan a 10.
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Tokyo,Japan-
