Giant-killer Amit Panghal thanked team-mate Kavinder Singh Bisht for his inputs which helped him tame Olympic bronze medallist Kim Inkyu in the 52kg final at the Asian boxing championships in Bangkok on Friday.
Panghal, who had overcome 49kg Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the semifinals, had another uphill task against Inkyu in the title clash. He achieved the rare feat of being an Asian Games and Asian championships gold medallist by sticking to his game plan. “The Korean was an experienced boxer, a bronze medallist in the Olympics. Kavinder (who settled for a 56kg silver medal) had fought with him earlier and he told me some good points as to how I should tackle the Korean. He told me that he comes closer and I had prepared myself according to that input and won the bout,” Panghal told Sportstar .
Well-prepared
According to Panghal, a thorough preparation was the reason behind his success against two accomplished boxers in a row. “I learnt a lot from both bouts (semifinal and final). I had watched their videos and prepared myself accordingly. I gathered some points from the boxers who had already fought with my opponents and sought the help of my coaches to prepare sound strategies.”
Panghal was delighted to have landed a gold medal in his first competition in 52kg since his switch from 49kg. “A lot of good boxers had come for the event. This exposure will help me in World championships and Olympics. I will work harder than ever to make my country proud.”
The 23-year-old said he must improve his game ahead of the World championships, which should be the qualifying event for the 2020 Olympics. “I will have to add more power to my punches. Normally, the reach of the 52kg boxers is longer. So, I will work on that as well. I need to work on being more aggressive in order to build more pressure on my opponents,” he said.
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