Russia, Sept 22
Rohtak lad Amit Panghal’s phenomenal campaign in the men’s World Boxing Championships ended with silver after he went down to Olympics champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the 52kg category final.
Panghal lost 0-5 but the scoreline was hardly a reflection of the fight he put on against the fancied Zoirov. Manish Kaushik (63kg) had signed off with bronze after losing in the semifinals earlier.
Up against a taller and more muscular opponent, Panghal gave it his all but fell short when it came to connecting accurately. In a bout that was mostly about counter-attack, both Panghal and Zoirov were wary of each other in the first round. The action picked up a bit in the second round and Panghal tried hard to capitalise on his rival’s low guard. However, in Zoirov, Panghal met his match in pace and the Uzbek had no trouble dodging Panghal’s lunging efforts. The two decided to attack each other in the third round and even though Panghal was more aggressive, it was Zoirov who managed to land more scoring blows. The silver for the Army man marks a new high as he has been simply unstoppable since breaking into the national scene with the bronze in the 2017 Asian Championships. Zoirov, despite being unseeded, was always going to be a tough challenge as he also has to his credit silver medals in the Asian Games and the Asian Championships.
