Tokyo Olympics: Wife Said Pull Out But I Knew I Wanted To Fight, Says Boxer Satish Kumar On Fighting In Quarterfinals With 13 Stitches

Tokyo Olympics: Indian boxer Satish Kumar revealed after his gruelling clash against Bakhodir Jalolov that his wife and father had urged him not to fight as he had 13 stitches on his face. Satish went ahead with the bout and lost to Jalolov in the quarterfinals.

It's rare for a sportsperson to find the biggest moment of his career in defeat. Indian boxer Satish Kumar is living that in Tokyo Olympics right now after turning up against a world champion with 13 stitches on his face and standing his ground through a gruelling showdown. "My phone hasn't stopped ringing, people are congratulating me as if I won. I am on medication right now but I know how badly bruised my face is," the 32-year-old army man laughed in an interview to PTI, his voice clearly a bit groggy from the effects of the pain-killing medication. Satish sustained two deep cuts -- on his forehead and chin -- during the pre-quarterfinals but decided to fight his next bout against Uzbek superstar Bakhodir Jalolov nonetheless. "My chin has seven stitches and my forehead has another six. Par marta kya na karta, I knew I wanted to fight. Otherwise I would have lived with that regret of what if. Now I can be at peace and also probably a little content with myself that I gave my best," he said.