New Delhi / Hyderabad, Oct. 2 (Maxim News) : India’s boxing campaign at the 2026 Asian Games ended on a high as Ankush Panghal won gold in the men’s 80kg category with a 4-0 victory over South Korea’s Minseong Kim at the Nishio Gymnasium on Friday.
Panghal controlled the final from the opening round and secured the judges’ verdict in his favour. Four judges scored the bout 30-26 for the Indian, while the fifth scored it 28-28. Kim was also docked a point for a warning in the opening round.
The Indian boxer started aggressively and won the first round 4-1. He continued to find success with combinations and counter punches in the second round, taking it 5-0.
Panghal maintained his advantage in the third round by combining defence with sharp counter-attacks. He won the round 4-1 to complete a dominant 4-0 victory.
The gold capped a six-medal haul for India in boxing at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The contingent collected three gold and three bronze medals, improving on its four-medal performance at the previous Asian Games.
Three Gold Medals Highlight India’s Boxing Show
Panghal’s gold followed victories by Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain earlier in the competition.
Parveen won the women’s 65 kg gold after edging Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin 3-2 in a closely fought final. She won the opening round 5-0, lost the second by the same score and held her composure to take the final round 3-2.
The victory made Parveen the third Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold. MC Mary Kom had won the 51kg title in 2014, while Lovlina added another women’s gold at the 2022 Games.
Lovlina, who celebrated her 29th birthday on Friday, won the women’s 75kg title by defeating China’s Ziyi Bao 5-0.
The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist produced a dominant performance to improve on the silver medal she won at the 2022 Asian Games. Her victory also ended a 12-year wait for an Indian women’s boxing gold at the Asian Games.
India’s three bronze medals came through Priya Ghanghas in the women’s 60kg category, Kapil Pokhariya in the men’s 90kg category and Narender Berwal in the men’s +90kg category. All three reached the semifinals before finishing with bronze medals.
Panghal had earlier booked his place in the final with a 4-1 split-decision victory over Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev. The Uzbek was the reigning world champion in the 75kg category.
India fielded 11 boxers at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Sakshi Chaudhary lost in the women’s 51kg round of 16 to Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Alua Balkibekova. Preeti Pawar was beaten by North Korea’s Pang Chol Mi in the women’s 54kg pre-quarterfinals.
Jadumani Singh lost to the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in the men’s 55kg pre-quarterfinals. Sachin Siwach exited in the men’s 60kg quarterfinals after losing to Japan’s Shunsuke Kitamoto.
Sumit Kundu was defeated by Iran’s Ali Qasim Al-Sarray in the men’s 70kg pre-quarterfinals.
Panghal’s gold therefore brought India’s boxing campaign to a close with three gold and three bronze medals, giving the sport a strong finish at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. (Maxim News)
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