Tokyo 2020 Form Graph: How has Amit Panghal boxed in the lead up to Olympics?
The top seed in men’s 52kg flyweight category has bagged two medals ahead of Tokyo 2020
All eyes will be on India’s star boxer Amit Panghal when he takes the Olympic centre stage on Saturday, July 31. Panghal is the top seed in the men’s 52kg flyweight category and one of the brightest medal prospects for India at Tokyo 2020.
Ahead of his opening bout against Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia in the Round of 16, we look at how ‘Chhota Tyson’ (little (Mike) Tyson) has done so far this year:
Boxam tournament
Panghal, 25, didn’t have the best of starts to his Olympic year as he failed to return with a medal from the 35th Boxam International Boxing Tournament in Castellon, Spain in March.
Playing his first tournament after more than two months, the boxer struggled to shore up his defence.
He lost the quarterfinals to European Games champion Gabriel Escobar in a split decision. Panghal was caught by surprise at the Spaniard’s aggression in the opening round, and even though he did well in the third round, he couldn’t muster up the necessary points.
Governor’s Cup
The Indian came up with a much improved performance at the Governor’s Cup in St Petersburg, Russia in April. Panghal was the only Indian at the event to win a medal as he bagged a bronze in the flyweight vategory.
Panghal lost 5-0 to Shakhobidin Zoirov in the semifinal.
Zoirov is the reigning world and Olympic champion and poses the biggest threat to the Indian’s campaign at Tokyo 2020. They have been drawn in the same half, and if they play to form, will meet in the semifinals.
Asian Championships
Panghal once again faced off against Uzbekistan’s Zoirov in the final of the Asian Championships in Dubai in May.
And the Indian had to settle for a 3-2 decision in Zoirov’s favour despite three out of five judges scoring the last two rounds for him.
This is Panghal's first silver medal at this competition and his third loss in a row against Zoirov. The Indian, however, was buoyed by his performance in Dubai.
“That, by far, was the best performance by me in the flyweight category. I should have won that final and I was angry when I did not,” Panghal told the PTI. “I had given it my all and I felt I deserved to win but it’s ok. It can happen. It was still way better than the last time I lost to him. The score-line has narrowed down to 3-2, it was 5-0 earlier.”