Over the past year, Amit Panghal has remained on the periphery of the national boxing squad. Panghal recovered to win gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games following his unexpected first-round Olympic exit.
But Panghal was not the first-choice fighter in the flyweight division for the two Olympic qualifiers, which included the Asian Games last year. In the selection assessment, Deepak Bhoria came out on top twice. Panghal even attempted a legal challenge against BFI's revised selection policy, but his attempt was unsuccessful. In accordance with that philosophy, boxers are no longer selected through trials but rather through a variety of skills and fitness requirements during the national camp.
The selectors eventually had to turn to the seasoned Panghal in the last Olympic qualifier in Bangkok after Bhoria failed to secure the quota for the Olympics in Paris in two consecutive meets. The 28-year-old made a significant statement on Sunday by capturing the 51kg Olympic quota in the World Qualifiers with an exciting comeback victory (5-0) over China's Liu Chuang.
Jaismine Lamboria qualified for another Olympics in the women's 57kg division. Jaismine easily defeated Marine Camara of Mali, winning 5-0, and taking back Parveen Hooda's quota when Hooda was suspended due to a violation of anti-doping rules.
Men's 57kg champion Sachin Siwach would feel it unfortunate to return without meeting his quota. Following an impressive performance during the competition, Sachin appeared to be the superior boxer when facing Munarbek Seiitbek Uul of Kyrgyzstan in the third-place quota match. But the judges had a different opinion. India will now send a squad consisting of two men and four women to Paris. Nine Indian boxers made it to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but only Lovlina Borgohain finished with a medal—a bronze in the 69kg division.
Indian boxers have had a difficult time lately, particularly the men. They did not win any quota at the 2023 Asian Games or in the March World Qualification Tournament held in Italy. Bernard Dunne, India's high performance director, resigned as a result of a falling out with the federation (BFI). Another blow was Hooda's failure to meet her quota because of her location.
The men's squad was under tremendous pressure to perform well and secure a few slots before to the final qualification meet. The bronze medallist from the world championships, Nishant Dev (71 kg), rose to the occasion and defeated Vasile Cebotari of Moldova in the quarterfinals on Friday to earn a spot at the Olympics. Panghal, who used to be a counterpuncher, is now more active in the ring and initiates attacks. Following a close first round in which four judges ruled in favor of the Chinese, Panghal was ablaze on Sunday. In the second, Panghal rallied back to make Liu uncomfortable. The Haryana boxer's signature overhand left blows were a regular source of scoring. The last two rounds of the competition were exciting as a result. When Liu made the decision to go all out in the final two minutes, trading fast blows in the middle of the ring to win and give India a second men's quota, Panghal was game.
