The reporters ran to grab good positions as the various television stations set up and began broadcasting the final."In the blue corner, from Ukraine, the winner of the 57kg cla.s.s at the 2008 Beijing Olympics! Vasily Lomachenko!"
As the gymnasium lights dimmed, the host"s pa.s.sionate introduction lit the venue.
Lomachenko, walked out the tunnel waving the Russian flag with one hand and waving to the audience with the other. His calm expression showed his confidence.
"In the red corner, from China, the winner of the 49kg cla.s.s at the 2010 Asian Games! Tang Yan!"
Tang Yan"s introduction caught a lot of eyes. His Asian Games medal was his only international boxing medal and his main acclaim but it was in the 49kg cla.s.s.
The audience hearing his leap in weight cla.s.s was surprised and taken aback.
Tang Yan like Lomachenko strode out the athlete"s tunnel towards the ring.
After the host introduced them, they began to put on their protective gear for the fight.
The spectators couldn"t sit still in excitement, as they watched fearing that they would miss any detail.
"Remember," Qin Hailong reminded Tang Yan as he got ready: "Don"t get sucked in, stay away and counter-punch, he"ll force the fight if you don"t rush, that"s the way he works."
After the two fighters completed their preparations, they put on their mouth guards and entered the ring.
With the fighters in the ring, the cheers on scene increased.
"Emotions are high and we"ve got another amazing final to look forward to!" The on-site commentator exclaimed.
The referee ran through the usual rules of the game and Tang Yan and Lomachenko touched gloves before they both took a step back.
Along with another cheer from the audience, the final finally started.
Ding! Ding!
The bell rang for the first round to begin!
And in the next second, Lomachenko took the lead in attacking, he exploded out with a series of jabs.
He quickly narrowed the distance between him and Tang Yan.
But Tang Yan knew that Lomachenko"s strength was to slug it out close, so he didn"t give him a chance to get close. After blocking Lomachenko"s jab, he followed up, throwing a row of punches to force Lomachenko back.
After Tang Yan repulsed Lomachenko, he didn"t advance, maintaining the distance between them.
Both sides weren"t rus.h.i.+ng too much to engage and they just shot out some tentative attacks.
Lomachenko sparred carefully, feeling his man out.
He would plod in and swing. Tang Yan would pick off his punches and counter, then retreat. Pick off, counter and retreat.
The stalemate lasted till about half way through the round when Lomachenko moved in again. Firing off two jabs to win time for himself, he tried to close the gap
His line of thought, quite clear.
Tang Yan naturally saw through this and his right foot pushed back, as he drew back his right hand to swing a haymaker.
He nailed Lomachenko with a savage hook to the jaw that threw the Russian back on his heels and instinctively he moved in, left fist pumping in and out, ripping into Lomachenko like a madman.
The Russian covered up, and retreated. The crowd howled, seeing the match favorite at a disadvantage and backpeedling.
Tang Yan continued forward his momentum, raining combos on Lomachenko as he caught him with several blows but seemingly trying his luck one too many times Lomachenko slipped under two of his right hooks and spotted an opening as he hooked a fast left to Tang Yan"s head.
Bam!
Tang Yan retaliated with a right but missed, going off balance, as Lomachenko rocked him with a left, right and left before he could clinch.
Tang Yan made an attempt to smother the champion under a flurry of blows but he met with no success as the cool-headed Russian covered.
But seeing an opportunity Tang Yan drove him towards the ropes. Lomachenko, realising what Tang Yan was intending, came out of defense mode slugging.
Lomachenko caught Tang Yan with a right that staggered the younger man. Then he exploded a right and left to his body that hurt and took the wind out of his sails before blasting at his jaw with both hands.
Bam!
Tang Yan saw a flash of stars and pin-wheels as he tried to clinch. But then he felt another jolt and everything went black. He came to on the floor of the ring with the lights glaring into his eyes.
"Three," called the referee, as Tang Yan tried to focus his mind.
"Four," Tang Yan turned over on his stomach.
"Five," He was on his hands and knees.
"Six." He was crouched.
"Sev...." He got up.
His arms were leaden and his stomach ached. He managed to raise his guard as Lomachenko rushed in, not giving him time to breathe.
Lomachenko whipped home a left and a right.
Tang Yan blocked the left and slid under the right and straightened up before driving at Lomachenko furiously, hitting with a left, right and pounding with everything he had. Lomachenko had a rough time for a moment, but managed to tie the kid up with both of them unscathed.
But Tang Yan wiggled his way out the clinch and bobbed, feinting, as he sank a left to Lomachenko"s heart, but in the next instant he was nailed to his teeth by a cras.h.i.+ng left. He backpedalled but Lomachenko followed in close, pumping short, vicious hooks to his stomach and heart.
Lomachenko slashed in cutting blows and made wounds on Tang Yan"s face, before Tang Yan could clinch.
Then he slipped away and laughed as Tang Yan tried to renew his attack. Lomachenko cut with his left hand and then drove a hard right to the body to keep Tang Yan slowed down.
Tang Yan moved in again but the bell rang, ending round one.
Ding! Ding!
The audience fickle and without mercy, cheered.
"What are you trying to do, commit suicide?" Qin Hailong raged at him as his corner man came up and began to work away at him, ma.s.saging away. Tang Yan tensed himself against the stinging pain, it helped to clear his brain.
Qin Hailong shouted: ""You want to win this fight, don"t you?"
Tang Yan nodded affirmatively.
"Then stay away, understand? Stay away!"
"I nearly caught him, I can get him," Tang Yan grated.
"Not the way you"re fighting, you can"t," said Qin Hailong, and he stuffed the mouthpiece in Tang Yan"s mouth as the bell rang.
Ding! Ding!
Lomachenko waited for Tang Yan to come in close, but Tang Yan stayed out, moving around, following Qin Hailong"s instructions after his close call in the first round.
Lomachenko began to press little by little again and moved in with a left and right but Tang Yan blocked and tied Lomachenko up, he was still recovering his tempo and wasn"t ready to fight.
Lomachenko came in and again but Tang Yan tied him up before any damage could be done.
When the referee separated them Tang Yan lashed out with a hard left, but Lomachenko picked it off and moved away, laughing. The crowd saw him laugh and responded, chanting and cheering.
Tang Yan went back into his sh.e.l.l.
It was a slow round compared to the furious first, Tang Yan refused to open up.
The second round went to Lomachenko also, but Tang Yan was in much better shape when it was over than he had been after the first.
"Good job," said Qin Hailong between rounds, inspecting his cuts to make sure they hadn"t been re-opened, "You"ve got him coming to you. Now start hitting back instead of clinching, but watch out, he"s got dynamite in his fists."