Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 29 (ANI): Ankush Panghal fought his way into the men's 80kg gold-medal bout at the Asian Games 2026 after beating Uzbekistan's Fazliddin Erkinboev in a thrilling semifinal here on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, boxing in the blue corner, Ankush had a lively start against the Uzbek southpaw, exchanging quick punches and finding success with his right hand and body shots. Despite appearing to land more punches, the Indian was surprisingly adjudged to have lost the opening round 1-4.
Ankush responded strongly in the second round, matching Erkinboev's speed and counter-punching ability to take the round 3-2 and level the momentum.
The Indian then produced his best boxing in the decisive third round, dominating the exchanges to win it 5-0 and seal a 4-1 victory.
Ankush will now fight South Korea's Kim Min-Seong for the gold medal. Kim defeated Jordan's Hussein Iashaish in the other semifinal.
The victory added another boxing final appearance for India on a day when Parveen Hooda had also booked her place in the women's 65kg gold-medal bout.
Earlier, Parveen defeated China's Li Shu 5-0 by unanimous decision in her semifinal. The Indian produced a composed performance, patiently waiting for openings before landing clean punches and maintaining control throughout the contest.
Parveen will face Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-chin in the final.
India have one more men's boxing semifinal to come on Tuesday, with Narender taking on Kazakhstan's Aibek Oralbay in the +90kg category.
Ankush's victory was among India's notable results on Day 10 of the Asian Games, with shooter Neeru Dhanda also winning the women's individual trap gold medal. Neeru had earlier combined with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer to win silver in the women's trap team event.
In archery, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan advanced to the men's recurve individual quarterfinals after respective wins over Chinese Taipei's Cheng Hsiang-Hui and South Korea's Kim Je-deok.
Dhiraj won 6-2, while Neeraj prevailed 6-4, with both Indian archers set to compete in the quarterfinals on October 3. (ANI)
Asian Games: Ankush Panghal beats Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev, enters men's 80kg boxing final
