Amit Panghal wins gold in Asian Boxing Championship, third after 2018 Asian Games

Indian boxer Amit Panghal (52kg) picked up his second successive gold medal of the year, claiming the top honours in the Asian Championships in Bangkok on Friday.  Panghal, who won the Asian Games gold medal last year, defeated Korea's Kim Inkyu Korea in a unanimous decision. He came into the tournament on the back of gold at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in February. This was his maiden international competition since moving up to 52kg from 49kg earlier this year.  However, national champion Deepak Singh (49kg) had to settle for a silver after going down in a split verdict to Nodirjon Mirzahmedov of Uzbekistan. India has challenged the verdict under the Bout Review System and a decision is awaited on it. 

Up against a lanky opponent, who was willing to play the waiting game, Panghal started in his usual aggressive style. The strategy of stumping rivals with relentless attacks paid off against Inkyu and the Korean simply had no answer to Panghal's aggression. The Indian managed to corner his rival quite often and his solid defences thwarted the feeble attempts at connecting by Inkyu. Earlier, Deepak put up a gutsy performance that failed to find favour with the judges.

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It was a bout in which both the boxers were mostly looking to counter-attack. Deepak's focus was getting his straight punches across, while Mirzahmedov looked to connect right hooks occasionally. The Indian was a clear winner in the opening round but Mirzahmedov came back strongly in the second. The Uzbek turned a shade defensive in the last three minutes, which gave Deepak a chance to assert himself. However, the final outcome was in favour of the Uzbek, much to the surprise of the Indian camp which immediately sought a review of the decision.

The tournament has a Bout Review Process in place for any contentious decisions. Teams have been handed yellow cards at the beginning of their respective bouts. Coaches get a minute after the fight to appeal against a decision. A slow-motion footage of the bout is used for reviews by an observer to decide the merits of the appeal. In case the decision does not favour the team concerned, the national federation has to pay USD 1,000 as a penalty.

However, India's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI that the gesture was merely to highlight "how wrong" the decision was. "We cannot get the decision changed. Just a protest here," he said. "The system will officially start in the world championships," added national coach C A Kuttappa.    

Bisht, on the other hand, also lost to an Uzbek in Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov, a unanimous decision. The boxer from Uttarakhand fought with a bandage over his right eye but did not back down from going for the offensive. The aggressive approach resulted in his wound, sustained in the semifinals, opening up just a minute into the third round. This made Bisht slightly defensive and allowed the Uzbek to edge ahead. Earlier, Deepak also put up a gutsy performance that failed to find favour with the judges. It was a bout in which both the boxers were mostly looking to counter-attack. Deepak's focus was getting his straight punches across, while Mirzahmedov looked to connect right hooks occasionally.

The Indian was a clear winner in the opening round but Mirzahmedov came back strongly in the second. The Uzbek turned a shade defensive in the last three minutes, which gave Deepak a chance to assert himself. However, the final outcome was in favour of the Uzbek, much to the surprise of the Indian camp. Under the Bout Review Process for contentious decisions, teams are handed yellow cards at the beginning of their respective bouts. Coaches got a minute after the fight to appeal against a decision. A slow motion footage of the bout is then reviewed by an observer, who decides the merits of the appeal. In case the final decision does not favour the team concerned, the national federation has to pay USD 1,000 as penalty.

The system is part of the International Boxing Association's attempts at streamlining the decision-making process which has been under scrutiny for a while now.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Deepak Kumar's fate will be decided by Bout Review Process.
• Amit Panghal won the gold medal in 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
• Panghal also won the Strandja Memorial tournament earlier in the year.