Indian boxer Amit Panghal earns Paris 2024 Olympics ticket

India's world championships silver medallist boxer, Amit Panghal earned an Olympic quota for the Paris Games with a decisive quarterfinal win in the 2nd World Qualification Tournament on June 2. 

Panghal, who is the only Indian male boxer to have won a silver medal at the world championships, delivered a 5-0 victory over China's Chuang Liu, securing his ticket to his second Olympic Games.

With this win, Panghal joins Indian boxers who have already qualified for the Olympics, including Nishant Dev (71kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). 

Panghal had limited opportunities to make his mark after losing his place in the national team due to the Boxing Federation of India's (BFI) evaluation system, which favored world championship bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria. 

His only major competition since the Tokyo Olympics was the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he clinched the gold medal. 

Earlier this year, Panghal won at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament.

The quarterfinal game against Liu began with both boxers assessing each other. As Liu took the initiative early, Panghal initially struggled to find his range. Despite landing a few scoring shots, Panghal ended the first round trailing 1-4. Panghal went on the offensive in the second round and started the round positively, which forced Liu into a counterattacking mode. 
Panghal's ended the round with all five judges ruling in his favor.

In the final round, Liu closed the distance and both fighters traded punches aggressively. Despite the intense back-and-forth, Panghal's experience and skill ensured his victory, allowing him to prevail and secure the Olympic quota. 

Later in the day, Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Sachin Siwach (57kg) will also compete in their respective quarterfinal bouts, aiming to secure their own Olympic berths.