Ankush Panghal Leads India to Six-Medal Boxing Haul with Asian Games Gold

Ankush defeats South Korea’s Minseong Kim 4-0 in the men’s 80kg final as Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain also win gold, bringing India’s boxing campaign to a successful close.

Nishio, Oct 2026 : India’s boxing campaign at the ongoing Asian Games concluded on a high note as Ankush Panghal clinched the gold medal in the men’s 80kg category with a commanding 4-0 victory over South Korea’s Minseong Kim at the Nishio Gymnasium on Friday.

Ankush controlled the contest from the opening bell, combining aggressive punching with effective counterattacks to outclass his South Korean opponent. Four of the five judges scored the bout 30-26 in the Indian boxer’s favour, while the remaining judge recorded a 28-28 tie. Kim was also docked a point following a warning in the opening round.

The Indian began strongly, winning the first round 4-1 with powerful and well-timed punches. He stepped up his performance in the second round, securing a unanimous 5-0 verdict through sharp one-two combinations and precise counterpunching. Although Kim managed to land a few shots, Ankush maintained control of the bout.

In the third round, Ankush continued to balance defence with attack, frustrating Kim with well-judged counters. He took the round 4-1 to seal the contest with a 4-0 decision and secure India’s third boxing gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

India finished its boxing campaign with six medals, comprising three gold and three bronze medals. Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain had earlier secured gold medals, while three other Indian boxers finished on the podium with bronze medals.

Parveen claimed gold in a closely fought women’s final against Nien-chin Che of Chinese Taipei. The Rohtak-born boxer started confidently, winning the opening round 5-0. Che responded emphatically in the second round, taking it by an identical margin. However, Parveen held her nerve in the decisive round, winning it 3-2 to secure the title with a split 3-2 verdict.

With the victory, Parveen became the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games boxing gold medal. Legendary boxer M.C. Mary Kom had won the women’s 51kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, while Lovlina added another gold to India’s tally earlier on Friday.

Lovlina, who turned 29 on Friday, won the women’s 75kg final with a dominant 5-0 victory over China’s Ziyi Bao. The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist improved on the silver medal she won at the 2022 Asian Games, securing India’s first women’s boxing gold at the continental event in 12 years.

India’s three bronze medals came through Kapil Pokhariya, Narender Berwal and Priya Ghanghas, who reached the semifinals but lost their respective bouts.

India had fielded 11 boxers at the Games. Sakshi Chaudhary lost to reigning world champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan in the round of 16, while Preeti Pawar was defeated by North Korea’s Pang Chol Mi in the pre-quarterfinals. Jadumani Singh also exited in the pre-quarterfinals against the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam.

Sachin Siwach lost to Japan’s Shunsuke Kitamoto in the quarterfinals, while Sumit Kundu was beaten by Iran’s Ali Qasim Al-Sarray in the pre-quarterfinals.

The three gold medals and three bronze medals marked a productive end to India’s boxing campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.