Ekaterinburg: Amit Panghal’s impressive run at the World Championships came to an end on Saturday following a defeat to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov. He went down 5:0 by unanimous decision in the final of the 52kg category. However, the 23-year-old Indian boxer still made history by becoming the first Indian boxer to win Silver at the Worlds Championships.
“I think I lacked a bit of power in my punches today, I will work on it. Zoirov has been in this weight for a longer time than me, that helped him today,” Panghal told PTI. “Nonetheless, it is the biggest medal of my career, I dedicate this to my country,” he added.
Panghal’s performance has earned him an entry in the next year’s Olympic qualifiers as the Boxing Federation of India had earlier announced that boxers who win medals at the World Championships seal places there.
Earlier on Friday, Manish Kaushik had to settle for the bronze medal as he lost 0-5 in the semi-final clash against reigning world champion Andy Cruz Gomez of Cuba.
