Indian boxers Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal and Narendra Berwal sealed three medals for the country with impressive wins in the quarter-finals on Sunday (September 27), while Sachin Siwach's campaign ended in the last eight stage. Ankush, who had won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, started the men's 80kg quarter-final with a 5-0 unanimous decision win against Tajikistan's Nekruz Salimov.
Narendra (90 kg plus) added another medal to his bronze medal in the previous stage. The referee stopped the match (RSC) less than two minutes into his quarter-final match against Thailand's Adthapong Saengtep. The Indian super heavyweight boxer unleashed a barrage of punches on his Thai opponent, forcing the referee to give Saengtep three standing counts before stopping the bout.
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Parveen defeated Uzbekistani boxer
Parveen defeated Uzbekistan's World Championship silver medalist Navbakhor Khamidova 5-0 to reach the women's 65kg semi-finals. Parveen's bronze medal was snatched from her in the last Asian Games. This was because the Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had banned him for failing to provide information about his whereabouts.
This was the first match of the Haryana boxer in this Asian Games, as she got a walkover in the previous round. However, Parveen performed brilliantly on Khamidova with a flurry of punches. On the other hand, the journey of Commonwealth Games champion Sachin has ended. He lost 0–5 to local favorite Shunsuke Kitamoto of Japan in the men's 60 kg quarter-finals.
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Tajikistani boxer could not stand in front of the curb
Ankush put in a dominant performance, completely outclassing Salimov and securing his place in the semi-finals. Ankush, who was debuting in the Asian Games, thus reached the last-four and secured at least a bronze medal. The Haryana boxer made a strong start and kept Salimov under pressure with precise punches like straight left and right hooks.
Salimov tried to counterattack but his attacks were ineffective. In the first round, the decision of all five judges was in favor of Ankush. He maintained the same rhythm in the second round and won this round on the scorecards of all five judges. The pressure remained on Salimov even in the last round. The Tajikistan boxer increased his pace and delivered a few punches but Ankush had already strengthened his position. By winning 5-0, he ensured India's first medal in boxing in this Asiad.