Asian Games 2026: Ankush Panghal assures India of maiden boxing medal

Nishio: India's Ankush Panghal assured the country of its first boxing medal at the ongoing Asian Games by defeating Tajikistan's Nekruz Salimov by a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the men's 80kg quarterfinal here on Sunday.

Ankush, who won Commonwealth Games gold last month in Glasgow, put up a dominant display to outclass Salimov and book his place in the semifinals.

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Making his Asian Games debut, Ankush thus moved into the last four and is assured of at least a bronze medal.

The Haryana boxer started strongly, landing clean singles, including a straight left and a right hook, to keep Salimov on the back foot. The Tajik tried to counter, but his punches lacked the accuracy and impact to trouble Ankush, who took the opening round on all five cards.

Ankush maintained the pressure in the second round, continuing to attack and landing a steady stream of punches. Salimov tried to close the distance and find openings on the counter, but Ankush was quick to respond and largely kept control of the exchanges.

The Indian also showed good composure as the round progressed, refusing to get drawn into unnecessary exchanges and picking his moments to attack. He again won the round on all five cards.

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With a comfortable lead heading into the final round, Ankush was content to conserve energy while keeping Salimov at bay. The Tajik attempted to force the pace and landed a few punches, but Ankush had already done enough to ensure the outcome.

The Indian negated Salimov's attempts to change the course of the bout and comfortably closed out a 5-0 victory, becoming the first Indian boxer to assure a medal at these Games.