Amit Panghal

“This has been the case ever since I was a kid. Sometimes the guys would be so tall that I would be staring at the sky. My opponents have largely been taller than me. But I took it as a blessing because that forced me to find a way,” Amit Panghal told Olympics.com.

Find a way he did, and such was his progress, that soon enough, he was competing against boys from higher weight categories and dominating them. While boxing for Amit Panghal started as a fitness regimen, it soon became a career option.

Guided by coach Anil Dhankar of the Chhoturam Boxing Academy – where he had followed his brother as a kid – Amit Panghal rose through the junior ranks rapidly.

In 2017, 21-year-old Amit Panghal announced himself on the senior stage, winning the gold medal on his very first nationals.

International success soon followed with a light flyweight bronze medal win at the 2017 Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Months later, he put together an impressive run at the 2017 World Championships before being ousted in the quarter-final by Rio 2016 Olympics light flyweight gold medallist Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan.

Amit Panghal holds the bout against the Olympic champion as a defining moment that enriched him as a boxer.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Amit Panghal beat former Olympian Sulemanu Tetteh of Ghana, Scottish pugilist Aqeel Ahmed and Uganda’s Juma Miiro to reach the final. Competing in the summit clash, though, he lost 3-1 to England’s Galai Yafai to bag silver.

Later, at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Amit Panghal bagged a gold medal. He won his first three bouts against Mongolia’s Kharkhüügiin Enkhmandakh, North Korea’s Kim Jang-ryong and the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam to reach the final.

In the final, he found himself squaring off against old nemesis Hasanboy Dusmatov. This time, though, it was Amit Panghal’s turn to shine as he won a close contest 3-2 to win the gold.

Later that year, Amit Panghal opted to move up a weight class to compete in the flyweight (52kg) division. While a shift in classes is regarded as a tough transition, Panghal was already used to competing against bigger opponents from his childhood.

Amit Panghal’s first big win in his new weight class came at the 2019 Asian Championships.

The Indian boxer beat Hasanboy Dusmatov - who had made the same weight class transition as him - yet again in the quarter-finals before dominating China’s Hu Jianguan – a bronze medallist at Rio 2016 – in the semis.

Set to fight his final bout against South Korean boxer Kim In-kyu, Panghal brushed aside his opponent by a 5-0 margin to win the gold medal.

Later that year in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Amit Panghal would go on to win a world championship silver medal. Despite losing to Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the final, the Indian had already scripted history, becoming the first Indian men’s boxer to clinch silver at the World Championships. The feat also propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking in his weight class.

In March 2020, Amit Panghal earned his berth for the Tokyo Olympics after defeating Carlo Paalam 4-1 in the quarter-finals of the Asia-Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers. He also won the gold medal at the Cologne World Cup in Germany in December.

Before taking the ring at the Tokyo Olympics, Panghal added another medal by winning silver at the 2021 Asian Championship, firmly establishing himself as a top medal prospect in Tokyo.

However, Amit Panghal’s Olympic debut ended in the opening bout. Up against the Rio 2016 silver medallist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia, Panghal started strongly, giving a glimpse of his nimble footwork, which helped him avoid getting tagged by the Colombian.

But the overly defensive approach backfired for the Indian as Martinez landed more punches in the second and third rounds to win the bout by a 4-1 split verdict.

A year later, Amit Panghal won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

“I was devastated when I lost four years ago (at CWG) so this makes me very happy,” Amit Panghal said after defeating England’s Kiaran McDonald via unanimous decision in the CWG final.

For dishing out consistent performances, Amit Panghal was honoured with the Arjuna Award - India’s second-highest award for sportspersons - in 2022.

Amit Panghal secured a Paris 2024 Olympics quota for India in the men’s 51kg from the World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Bangkok in June 2024.

He was part of the six-member Indian boxing contingent at Paris 2024 but crashed out in the round of 16 after losing to Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba.

Panghal had beaten Chinyemba 5-0 in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games 2022 but struggled against the lanky Zambian to lose 4-1 on split decision.