The lack of seeding meant that what could have been a bout for the later rounds was played out as an opener. In these situations, Indians have struggled, especially after the Tokyo Olympic cycle. But Jadumani fashioned a victory, one which came from an agile lead foot that kept him a moving target for Cullen, and set his lightning-fast left hand.

The left hook, followed by a left uppercut, was the bread and butter shot of the Indian. It found its mark in key moments. Cullen responded with a stinging right jab that found its mark. But on output, the Indian boxer, making his Commonwealth Games debut, was the clearer victor in the first round.

The second round, though, is where boxing struggles to survive as a sport. Cullen’s control of the centre of the ring was absolute, and his adjudging of range was precise. When those two conditions were met, his shots landed aplenty. Jadumani changed his stance, deployed himself lower than his stance, and bobbed his head, but was not able to defend that first punch from Cullen’s right. The Scottish boxer made it a close fight in the second, but the Indian got all five judges to give him the round 10-9. That surety on the scorecards was not what was showing in the ring. Jadumani had landed shots, but Cullen surprisingly failed to turn any of the judges’ heads.

The third round needed Cullen to produce an extraordinary knockout. But Jadumani coasted through the third, avoiding any heavy shots and preserving his body for the wars to come.