Kazakhstan's Sapiyev wins welterweight gold medal

Kazakhstan's Sapiyev wins welterweight gold medal

Published Aug. 12, 2012 10:47 a.m. ET

Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan won the gold medal in the men's welterweight division Sunday at the Olympic boxing tournament, overcoming Freddie Evans' home-crowd support in a 17-9 victory.

Sapiyev earned redemption for his Olympic performance four years ago in Beijing, where the two-time world champion lost in the first round.

Sapiyev dominated Evans, the cagey fighter from Wales who unexpectedly reached the gold-medal bout. Sapiyev took a 10-5 lead into the third round by soundly outworking his British opponent, connecting with power shots from multiple angles.

Sapiyev's gold is the sixth for Kazakhstan in its Olympic boxing history.

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He fought at light welterweight in Beijing before moving up in preparation for London.

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