The defending champion Amit Panghal punched his way into the men’s 52kg final at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships after outpunching Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov in the last-4 clash in Dubai on Friday.
During an intense battle between World Championships Silver medallist Panghal and Bronze medallist Bibossinov, the Indian made a cautious start and tried to keep a distance from the opponent. He looked more aggressive later in the second round and hit some clean punches to put pressure on Bibossinov.
Panghal carried on the momentum throughout the match and stamped his authority over Kazakh boxer to secure a commanding 5-0 win. Aiming to win second successive gold, the Indian boxer will take on Rio Olympic champion Zoirov Shakhobidin of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match on Monday.
India is now assured of at least five Silver medals with four women already making their way into the finals earlier on Thursday at the prestigious event which is jointly hosted by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and UAE Boxing Federation. With 15 medals confirmed, Indian contingent also achieved their highest medal haul, surpassing the previous best of 13 (2 gold, 4 silver and 7 Bronze) from the 2019 edition in Bangkok.
On Thursday six-time World Champion Mary Kom (51kg) alongside three more Indian women pugilists-Pooja Rani (75kg), Anupama (+81kg) and Lalbuatsahi (64kg)-progressed into the finals. The defending champion Pooja received a walk-over against Mongolia’s Munkhbat.
