Boxing World Championships: Amit Panghal becomes first Indian to enter final, Manish Kaushik ends with bronze

On Saturday, Amit Panghal will take on Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov, the reigning Olympic champion. Zoirov defeated Frenchman Billal Bennama in his semifinal showdown.

Amit Panghal reaches the final of World Men’s Boxing Championship (PTI photo)

India’s Asian champion Amit Panghal (52kg category) on Friday became the first Indian boxer to enter the World Men’s Boxing Championship final. Manish Kaushik (63kg category) signed off with a bronze medal after going down in the semifinals to Cuban boxer Andy Gomez Cruz.

The second-seeded Panghal defeated Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov in the semi-final by 3-2. On the other hand, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Kaushik went down to top-seeded Cruz losing the match by 0-5. Kaushik’s opponent is a the reigning champion.

“The bout went very well for me although I had to put in more effort than I had thought. It is a huge achievement for Indian boxing and I am thankful for all the support that I have got,” Panghal said after the triumph.

Story continues below this ad

Panghal will go up against Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov, the reigning Olympic champion for the gold medal. Zoirov reached the final y beating Frenchman Billal Bennama.

“I gave it my all but I guess there are a few things lacking in my game, which I will try to improve on. I will work harder and deliver better results in the coming tournaments,” Kaushik said after losing in the semi-final.

Panghal and Kaushik created history by ensuring India of more than one bronze medal in a single edition of World Championships.

The past medal-winners for India at the World Boxing Championships are Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (2011), Shiva Thapa (2015) and Gaurav Bidhuri (2017).