Amit Panghal, India’s world championships silver medallist boxer, secured an Olympic quota for the Paris Games with a decisive quarterfinal win in the 2nd World Qualification Tournament on Sunday.
Panghal, the only Indian male boxer to have won a silver medal at the world championships, delivered a hard-fought 5-0 victory over China’s Chuang Liu, earning his ticket to his second Olympic Games.
With this win, Panghal joins an elite group of Indian boxers who have already qualified for the Olympics, including Nishant Dev (71kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). The road to qualification has been challenging for Panghal. After losing his place in the national team due to the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) evaluation system, which favored world championship bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria, Panghal had limited opportunities to make his mark. His only major competition since the Tokyo Olympics was the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he clinched the gold medal. Earlier this year, he also won at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament.
The quarterfinal bout against Liu began cautiously, with both boxers assessing each other. Liu took the initiative early, capitalizing on his height advantage, and Panghal initially struggled to find his range. Despite landing a few scoring shots, Panghal ended the first round trailing 1-4. Adjusting his strategy in the second round, Panghal went on the offensive. He started the round positively, which forced Liu into a counterattacking mode. Panghal’s persistence paid off as he continued to land punches, ending the round with all five judges ruling in his favor.
The final round saw an energy-sapping exchange as Liu closed the distance and both fighters traded punches aggressively. Despite the intense back-and-forth, Panghal’s experience and skill ensured his victory, allowing him to prevail and secure the Olympic quota. Later in the day, Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Sachin Siwach (57kg) will also compete in their respective quarterfinal bouts, aiming to secure their own Olympic berths.