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Olympics

Selfishness is often cited as an indispensable ingredient for success but giant-killing boxer Akhil Kumar is an exception.

Akhil -- himself one win away from a dream Olympic medal -- can spend a sleepless night to instill confidence to his junior and cousin Jitender Kumar, accompany him to the ring and gesticulate over four rounds to help him win his battle.

No wonder then that Jitender -- second Indian boxer to qualify for the quarterfinals -- wants to win an Olympic medal for Akhil, his mentor and "everything".

"When you are the seniormost member of the (boxing) contingent, you have to think about the juniors as well. You just cannot think about yourself only.

"I like interacting with youngsters and if it helps them, nothing like that. Jitender is very fond of me and he's more than a brother to me. In fact, he has developed a style which is very similar to mine," Akhil told PTI.

Jitender, for his part, reciprocates by saying he wants to win a medal for Akhil's sake.

"Akhil has been everything to me and I want to win the gold for him," Jitender, bathed in sweat and blood still dripping from his chin, said after his 51kg pre-quarterfinal win against Uzbekistan's Tulashboy Doniyorov.

"Akhil had fought with him and knew his style. I could not sleep at all last night and I did not let Akhil sleep either. We chatted how to go about today's bout and he kept telling me I have to win," Jitender said.

"I fought like him and won. In the ring, I would often look at him and he would signal me how to go about it," he added.

"Jitender is a very promising boxer and would go a long way. I have been boasting that I would not settle for anything less than gold. But to be honest, I have more faith in Jitender's capabilities," Akhil said. "He is a better boxer than me. He is faster and stronger and if there is anything lacking in him, it's experience, which would come with time.

"I'm confident about myself but even more so about Jitender's prospect. And if my tips helps him achieve his goal, nothing can be more satisfying than that for me," added.