#AsianGames2018: CWG-medallist Amit beats Olympic-champ Dusmatov to win boxing gold
Amit Panghal (49kg) today became only the eighth Indian boxer ever to claim a gold medal at the Asian Games in Indonesia with a stunning tactical win over reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan. The 22-year-old Army man, the only Indian to make the boxing finals, prevailed 3-2 against Dusmatov, who had beaten him in a split-verdict in last year's world championships (Hamburg).
Amit entertained the audience with a great tactical win
Amit, making his Asiad debut, showed immense tactical brilliance, especially in defense to outwit the Uzbek, who has an iconic status in international boxing. Dusmatov won a silver in the world championship last year. But today, the Haryana boxer extracted sweet revenge for the narrow loss in Hamburg, keeping his range and striking some clean right hooks and jabs to his shorter opponent.
Dustamov couldn't outwit his Indian opponent despite brilliant counterattacks
Dusmatov, known for his brilliant counterattacks, seemed wary of the constantly-on-the-move Indian, who refused to fall into the trap of diving in. The result was a frustrated Dusmatov being forced to lunge forward which worked perfectly well for the Indian in his counterattacking game.
Amit now joins the league of Vijender Singh, Vikas Krishnan
Today's win marks the highest point in Amit's rise to the top, starting with an Asian Championships bronze last year. Amit claimed silver in 2018 Commonwealth Games. Earlier this year, he also won gold medals at the inaugural India Open and the prestigious Strandja memorial in Bulgaria. Vijender Singh and Vikas Krishan were the last set of Indian male gold-medalists at the Asian Games.
