Saad outwits Thapa

Bangalore, June 7: To most, he is a coward who has no place in boxing. And, they cannot be faulted, for he ducks, swings and sways away from harm8217;s way as if he simply cannot take punishment. But ask Tuk Bahadur Thapa of Services, he will tell you Andhra Pradesh8217;s Saad Farooq is one hell of an intelligent boxer.

Tuk Bahadur is no great talent scout to know this. In fact, the national welter weight champion learnt this the most painful way here on Saturday, becoming Saad8217;s victim in the semifinals at the fourth National Games.

Like Pasha in the quarterfinals, Tuk Bahadur too found Saad too evasive despite his long reach. While the crowd heckled the AP boxer thinking that he was running for cover, only Tuk Bahadur knew how intelligently his opponent was landing his punches while escaping from his blows. As if rubbing salt into the wounds, Saad even got a couple of stinging right hooks to Tuk Bahadur8217;s head on his way to authoring the biggest upset of the event.