Asian Games 2018: Meet Amit Panghal, who defeated the Olympic champ to win India’s only boxing gold

Amit Panghal won India’s only boxing gold at the 18th Asian Games and the 14th overall by defeating Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov in the men’s light-flyweight category on Saturday.

Panghal won the bout, that he dominated for the most part by, a split decision.

Here’s how the bout was scored.

Name: AMIT KUMAR PANGHAL

Date of Birth: 16-10-1995

Event at Asian Games: 49 kg

Past performance (if any): NIL

Best performance so far: Commonwealth Games (silver medal), Asian Games (bronze)

Amit Panghal stormed into the limelight with a terrific run in 2017, which saw him win a bronze at the Asian Championships. A gold medal at the Czechoslovakia Grand Prix saw him firmly establish himself as one of the stars of the next-gen of Indian boxing.

Panghal showed no signs of nerves when he stepped into the ring for the first time in the World Championships, picking up two easy wins before being halted in his tracks by, incidentally, Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov, the Rio Olympics gold medallist who he beat in the Asian Games final.

The first half of 2018 saw the Rohtak-born Panghal bag gold medals in the India Open and the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament in Bulgaria. Those wins were a precursor to his silver medal finish in the Commonwealth Games. He lost to Galal Yafai of England in the finals but his surge continued. He added another bronze, this time, at the Chemisty Cup in Germany.

Despite his diminutive stature, Panghal’s deft footwork is a sight to behold and is a serial winner, lending credence to his big-game prowess. He is also known for his speed, as he showed in the Asiad final while avoiding Dusmatov’s late flurry of attempted big punches. Panghal is considered to be one of the elite boxers in his category and after a breakthrough year, he is on his way to establish himself as the one of the best.

List of achievements:

2018: Chemistry Cup, Halle: Bronze

2018: Commonwealth Games 2018, Gold Coast: Silver

2018: 69th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament, Bulgaria: Gold

2018: Indian Open International Boxing Championships, New Delhi: Gold

2017: Grand Prix Usti nad Labem (Usti nad Labem, CZE): Gold

2017: ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships (Tashkent, UZB: Bronze

2017: Strandja Memorial Tournament (Sofia, BUL): Bronze

2016: National Championships: Gold

2012: Indian Youth National Championships: 5th

2011: Indian Junior National Championships: Silver

2010: Indian Junior National Championships: Silver