Asian Games: Amit Panghal beats reigning Olympic champion to win a stunning boxing gold
Panghal (-49kg) is the lone Indian boxer to make the final in the ongoing edition in Indonesia and he ensured a golden end to the campaign.
India’s Amit Panghal won a stunning gold in the men’s -49kg beating reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan by a split decision at the Asian Games on Saturday.
In a tough final bout, the 22-year-old Indian boxer didn’t get bogged down and kept landing his punches even as the Uzbek tried to overpower him.
Panghal was the lone Indian boxer to make the final in the ongoing edition in Indonesia and he ensured a golden end to the campaign.
The first round seemed to be pretty even as the India kept his distance against the Olympic champ but got in a few of his own. Panghal was quite sharp in the second round and seemed to hold his own against Dusmatov who looked he was going through the gears. Dusmatov wasn’t able to land any big blows while Panghal was able to hit a couple.
The 22-year-old Indian went on the defensive in the third round, knowing he was in the lead and drew the Uzbek to attack him. Dusmatov, not one to go down lightly, took the attack to the Indian and there were moments in the third round when it seems like the Olympic champion would turn it around in his favour. However, by a margin of 3-2, the famous win belonged to the young Indian.
Last year, Panhgal had lost to Dusmatov in a close quarter-final contest in the Hamburg World Championships. The Uzbek was also voted the best male boxer at the Rio Olympics in 2016, where he had clinched the gold in the light flyweight category.
In the semi-final, he had beaten Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in a split decision 3-2 verdict. The 22-year-old Armyman, had also won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
The only other Indian boxer to medal at the ongoing Asiad was Vikas Krishan, who got the bronze after being declared medically unfit for his semi-final bout. The Haryana-based boxer sustained the cut on his eye during his pre-quarterfinal bout and the injury aggravated during his grueling quarter-final clash against China’s Tuoheta Erbieke Tanglatihan.