India’s Amit Panghal wins Asian Games boxing gold
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indian light flyweight Amit Panghal upset Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov to win gold at the Asian Games on Saturday and deliver a blow to Uzbekistan’s domination of the region’s men’s boxing titles.
Uzbekistan fighters still managed to win five of the seven golds in the men’s competition, but lost the one that seemed like a sure bet when Panghal beat Dusmatov on a split points decision.
Two of the five judges awarded the bout to Dusmatov, who won Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but the remaining three gave it to Panghal, who serves with the Indian army when he’s not in the ring.
Uzbekistan had a second loss on a 3-2 decision — when Shunkor Abdurasulov was beaten by Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar — but cleaned up the remaining five men’s titles to displace Kazakhstan as the new powerhouse of Asian boxing.
Kazakhstan has traditionally dominated the heavier divisions, but the light heavyweight, heavyweight and super heavyweight categories were left off the Asian Games program this time.
Kazakhstan did make the finals in the two heaviest divisions in Jakarta but lost them both. Aslanbek Shymbergenov went down on points to Bobo Usmon Baturov in the welterweight final, and Israil Madrimov edged Abilkhan Amankul in middleweight.
Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov stopped North Korea’s Jo Hyo-nam in the second round to claim the bantamweight crown.
China’s Rio Olympic silver medalist Yin Junhua became the first woman to win two gold medals in boxing at the Asian Games when she outclassed North Korea’s Jo Son-hwa in the featherweight final.
