Nishio, September 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian boxers continued their impressive run at the Asian Games 2026 as Ankush Panghal reached the men’s 80kg final with a 4-1 comeback win over reigning 75kg world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev of Uzbekistan.
Ankush trailed 1-4 after the opening round but fought back strongly, edging the second round 3-2 before dominating the final round 5-0. Four judges scored the bout 29-28 in his favour, while one judge gave Erkinboev a 29-28 verdict.
The victory made Ankush the first Indian male boxer to reach an Asian Games final since Amit Panghal won the 49kg gold at the 2018 Jakarta Games.
However, Narender Berwal had to settle for a bronze medal after losing his men’s +90kg semifinal 0-5 to reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay of Kazakhstan.
Oralbay controlled the contest with his powerful punches, winning the first two rounds 5-0. He adopted a more defensive approach in the third round to keep Narender at bay and complete a unanimous 5-0 victory.
Narender had won bronze in the men’s +92kg category at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Earlier, Parveen Hooda also booked her place in the women’s 65kg final with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over China’s Li Shu. Parveen took the opening round 3-2 before dominating the second and third rounds 5-0.
She will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the gold-medal bout.
With Ankush and Parveen reaching the finals and Narender securing bronze, India have now confirmed six boxing medals at the ongoing Asian Games, surpassing the country’s five-medal haul from the Hangzhou Games.
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