India’s top medal prospects at Tokyo Olympics and their main challengers: Amit Panghal

Ranked world No. 1 in men’s 52kg boxing, India’s Amit Panghal will be heading to the Tokyo Olympics as a medal favourite in the flyweight division.

The 25-year-old pugilist from Haryana has shown an incredible penchant for bringing back medals from big events.

Amit Panghal started as a light-flyweight (49kg) boxer and the 2017 Asian championships bronze was his first big medal at the world level. A Commonwealth Games silver and an Asian Games gold followed in 2018.

In 2019, Amit Panghal moved up to the 52kg category and adapted exceedingly well. He stamped his authority by becoming the Asian champion the same year and followed it up with a silver medal at the world championships in Russia.

Panghal then secured his ticket to Tokyo at the Asian Olympic qualifiers held in Amman, Jordan in March last year.

Since international boxing events returned post the COVID-19 lockdown, the Indian’s form has run hot and cold.

While he impressed with gold medals at the Alexis Vastine Memorial boxing tournament in Nantes, France, and the Boxing World Cup in Cologne, Germany, an early exit from the Boxam meet in Spain and a bronze medal finish at the Governor's Cup in Russia were setback of sorts.

Heading into his maiden Olympics, though, Amit Panghal will be a force to reckon with. The 25-year-old, however, is expected to face some tough contests in the 52kg division.

Shakhobidin Zoirov (Uzbekistan)

Top achievements: Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist and world champion (2019).

What makes him special? Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov****, the reigning Olympic and world champion, beyond the shadow of a doubt, will be Amit Panghal’s biggest challenger for the Tokyo Olympics gold.

After winning his Tokyo berth at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in March 2020, Shakhobidin participated in two tournaments – the 2021 Strandja Memorial event in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the Governor’s Cup in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

At Strandja, Shakhobidin was upset by Amit Panghal’s Indian teammate Deepak Kumar in the semi-finals and had to settle for bronze. In Russia, though, he went all the way to claim gold.

Furthermore, Shakhobidin, in recent years, has emerged as a nemesis of sorts for Amit Panghal.

Shakhobidin Zoirov was the man responsible for denying Amit Panghal a gold at the 2019 world championships and more recently, he beat the Indian in the Governor's Cup semi-finals.

Amit Panghal is known to punch beyond his weight at big ticket events. The way he has emerged from Uzbek Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov’s shadows after enduring a series of losses against him, has been nothing short of incredible.

Yosbany Veitia (Cuba)

Top achievements: World champion (2017) and world championships silver medallist (2015).

What makes him special? The latest in the line of exceptional Cuban boxers, Yosbany Veitia has been a big name in the 52kg category for years with his consistency at global events.

A 2010 youth world championships bronze medallist, Yosbany Veitia has won three Pan American Games silver medals and a Central American and Caribbean Games gold in his senior career.

The 29-year-old Yosbany’s favourite stage, though, has been the world championships. He won a bronze in 2013, a silver in 2015 and top honours in 2017.

The 2019 world meet in Russia, though, saw Yosbany exit in the third round after a shock defeat to English boxer Galal Yafai.

The world championships, incidentally, was Yosbany Veitia’s last major international event since COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Pan American Olympic qualifiers. 

Yosbany Veitia, though, has been participating in domestic events in Cuba and is undefeated in his last seven bouts. He also won the Cuban national championships in December 2019.

Despite Veitia’s stellar record at the worlds, he has been unfortunate at the Olympics to date.

At London 2012, he was just edged out by eventual champion Zou Shiming of China in the Round of 16. Come Rio 2016, he was knocked out from the quarter-finals after another close defeat.

Hu Jianguan (China)

Top achievements: Bronze medallist at Rio 2016, world championships 2015 and Asian championships 2019.

What makes him special? Hu Jianguan has barely been active since qualifying for Tokyo at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in March 2020, but the Chinese boxer will head into Tokyo 2020 as one of the medal favourites regardless.

The Rio 2016 bronze medallist was the boxer who knocked out Yosbany Veitia in the last edition to secure his podium finish. 

Jianguan has also struck up an intriguing rivalry with Amit Panghal in recent years.

Amit Panghal defeated Jianguan at the 2019 Asian championships semi-finals but the Chinese boxer got his revenge in the semi-finals of the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Amman.

Another big dark horse to keep an eye on will be Yuberjen Martinez. The Colombian won the light-flyweight (49kg) silver medal at Rio 2016 but will be competing in the 52kg division at Tokyo.

Martínez is also a world championships bronze medallist from 2017.

Besides these mentioned above, Spain’s Gabriel Escobar (reigning European champion), France’s Billal Bennama, Great Britain’s Galal Yafai, Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi (two-time African champion) will be the other contenders.