Tokyo Olympics 2020: Gold Medal Expected From World Number 1 Boxer Amit Panghal

Tokyo Olympics: India is expecting the highest number of medals in boxing at the Tokyo Olympics. While MC Mary Kom is a strong contender for the medal in women, Amit Panghal in men will be expected to bring gold to the country. Amit is currently the number one player in the world in the 52-kilogram weight category. He is the first Indian boxer to have the number one rank in the Olympics in his category. Amit Panghal credits his success to his elder brother Ajay Panghal and considers him as his best coach.

Amit Panghal comes from a farmer family in Rohtak district of Haryana. He initially used to play in 48 kilogram weight category. When International Boxing Association (AIBA) decided to remove the 48 kilogram weight category from the Olympics then Panghal moved to the 52 kilogram weight category. Forgetting the unexpected defeat in the final of the Asian Boxing Championship this year, he seems determined to win the gold medal in the Olympics.

Became more strong after the defeat in the finals of Asian Championship, says Panghal 

According to Panghal, the defeat in the final of the Asian Championship has made him stronger. Panghal was defeated in the finals by the reigning Olympic and world champion (2019) Uzbekistan boxer Shakhobidin Zoirov. Panghal said, “I don’t think too much about what has passed. Now all my attention is on Tokyo. If we both face off in Tokyo, I’ll beat him. Zoirov ranks fifth, and we may come face-to-face in the quarter-final or semi-final. I will definitely make up for the loss in Asian Championship in Olympics.”

Panghal also said, “I have full faith in my performance and I will definitely bring medal for the country in Olympics. But i need prayers too. I know that the prayers and wishes of all the people of the country are with me and with the other players of the team..”

Amit Panghal became the only Indian to win two consecutive golds in the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament 

Amit Panghal Had Won Gold in 2017 National Boxing Championship. After that, he came into the limelight as soon as he won the bronze medal in the Asian Championship this year. He won the gold medal at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria and then in 2018 he also became the Asian Champion. Panghal is the only Indian boxer to win two consecutive gold medals at the Strandja Memorial, Europe’s oldest and prestigious competition. 49 kilogram category was withdrawn from the Olympic program so then in 2018 he decided to play in 52 kilogram category.

In September 2019 Panghal won Silver Medal in AIBA World Boxing Championship. He is the first Indian to achieve this feat in this competition. Apart from this, Panghal in 2018 won silver in the Commonwealth Games and in 2020 he won gold medal in Boxing World Cup. 2019 – top ranked in AIBA – International Boxing Association.

He considers his elder brother Ajay to be his best and most trusted coach 

Amit Panghal’s father Vijender Singh is a farmer by profession. His elder brother is in the Indian Army. He credits his success to his elder brother who inspired him to become a boxer. Panghal said, “The credit for my success goes to my elder brother Ajay. He is the best coach. I try to talk to him about my strategy before every match. He himself has been a great boxer too.”