Amit Panghal Qualifies For Paris Olympics, Becomes Fifth Indian Boxer To Do So

Bangkok: Amit Panghal became the second male Indian boxer after Nishant Dev to qualify for Paris Olympics after securing an emphatic win over China’s Chuang Liu during men’s 51 kg quarterfinals at the World Boxing Qualifiers in Bangkok on Sunday. Among women; Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) have already secured their spots through Asian Games 2023.

This was Panghal’s last shot for Olympic qualification after losing to world championship bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria at the Asian Games last year. In the game against Liu, Panghal was trailing 1-4 in the first round but won the next round by a unanimous 5-0 verdict. This victory marked his comeback after failing to secure a spot at the qualifying event in Busto Arsizio.

Tokyo Olympics did not go as he would have expected for Panghal after he was knocked out in the opening round by Colombia’s 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Yuberjen Martinez. He also emerged victorious at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament earlier this year.

The quarterfinal bout began on a rather sedate note with both boxers trying to assess each other. One minute into the bout, Liu went after Panghal. At an height disadvantage, the Indian struggled to find his range, and he did mange to land a couple of scoring shorts but didn’t engage much.

Trailing 1-4, Panghal, a three-time Asian Championship medallist, changed his strategy. He went on the offensive, beginning the second round on a positive note. The Chinese boxer retaliated by launching some counterattacking blows but Panghal continued with his punches and ended the round on a high, forcing all five judges to rule in his favour.

In the last three minutes, Liu changed his game and moved closer to Panghal. It was an energy sapping affair as both fighters traded punches, going hammer and tongs at each other. In the end, the former world number one prevailed. Later in the day, Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Sachin Siwach (57kg) will also look to secure Olympic quotas.