India thrash South Korea, to face Iran in Kabaddi Masters final
Dubai, June 29: India skipper Ajay Thakur led from the front to thrash South Korea 36-20 while a second string Iran outplayed Pakistan 40-21 in the semi-finals of the Kabaddi Masters at the Al Wasl Sports Club here on Friday.
For the first time in the tournament, India were put under pressure and it forced the coach Srinivas Reddy to come out with a different strategy. On the other hand, Iran, who came into this tournament without the services of some star players, displayed some attacking game to outplay Pakistan.
Iran will now face India in the summit clash on Saturday here.
In the second semi-final of the day, South Korea straightaway put pressure on the Indian defenders with some good raiding. After eight minutes, the scoreboard read 7-3 in favour of South Korea, thanks to their star raider Jang Kun Lee.
The Indian raiders and defenders tried hard to match the pace of the Koreans but failed which forced Indian coach to make substitute in the initial minutes, bringing in raider Monu Goyat.
And just when thing seemed lost in the middle for India, Thakur, after couple of empty raids, narrowed the point difference through a brilliant raid and then defender Mohit Chillar equalized with a great catch to make it 7-7 in the 11th minute.
The much-awaited moment came when Goyat touched one player to hand India a crucial lead, which India did not tasted in first 15 minutes of the game followed by Thakur making an all-out to make it 13-8.
The last five minutes of the first half game saw Goyat and Thakur taking some points to end the first half, taking seven points lead.
Never looked back moment came for India in the second half when young defender Girish Maruthi single-handedly grabbed Jang Kun Lee to break the backbone of the South Korea's attack.
Thakur then forced his opponents to play with two players and then defenders inflicted an all-out in 24th minute to make scoreboard read 24-11.
After that, Korea tried to make a come back when they force India to play with only three players Chillar, Maruthi and Thakur. But Thakur's experience helped India to maintain their lead and also sent back Jang to almost seal the match.
With less than five minutes of game remaining, India played calmly and did not allowed South Korea to take points in numbers and in the last, wrapped up the issue comfortably.
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Jake Paul beats 58-year-old Mike Tyson as the hits don't match the hype
Arlington (USA) (AP): The boos from a crowd wanting more action were growing again when Jake Paul dropped his gloves before the final bell, and bowed toward 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
Paying homage to one of the biggest names in boxing history didn't do much for the fans that filled the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Friday night.
Paul won a unanimous decision over Tyson as the hits didn't match the hype in a fight between the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer and the former heavyweight champion in his first sanctioned pro fight in almost 20 years.
All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, replaced by boos from bewildered fans hoping for more action in a fight that drew plenty of questions about its legitimacy long before it happened.
The fight wasn't close on the judge's cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73.
Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn't try much else the rest of the way.
Even fewer rounds and shorter rounds, along with heavier gloves designed to lessen the power of punches, couldn't do much to generate action.
Paul was more aggressive after the quick burst from Tyson in the opening seconds, but the punching wasn't very efficient. There were quite a few wild swings and misses.
Tyson mostly sat back and waited for Paul to come to him, with a few exceptions. It was quite the contrast to the co-main event, another slugfest between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in which Taylor kept her undisputed super lightweight championship with another disputed decision.
It was the first sanctioned fight since 2005 for Tyson, who fought Roy Jones in a much more entertaining exhibition in 2020. Paul started fighting a little more than four years ago.
The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but had to be postponed when Tyson was treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight.
