Panghal beats world champion to reach men's 80kg final as Parveen Hooda advances at Asian Games 2026

Ankush Panghal defeated Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev to reach the men’s 80kg final at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday, and Parveen Hooda progressed to the women’s 65kg final the same day. Their semi-final wins guaranteed India at least six boxing medals at the Games.

India’s current boxing tally has already improved on the four medals it won at the previous Asian Games, when it competed in 13 categories compared with 11 this time. Three of India’s six assured medallists are making their Games debuts, and the contingent is smaller than last time with two world champion boxers absent. The confirmed six medals come ahead of the remaining medal-deciding bouts.

In the men’s 80kg semi-final, Ankush Panghal, competing at his first Asian Games, beat Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1; Erkinboev is the reigning 75kg world champion. The victory made Panghal India’s first male boxer to reach an Asian Games final in eight years. The win has moved him into the gold-medal bout at the Games.

Parveen Hooda reached the women’s 65kg final with a 5-0 win over China’s Li Shu. She is only the third Indian woman boxer to reach a final at the Games. With Hooda and Panghal both through to finals, India has two boxers competing for gold at the same edition for the first time since 2010.

Narender Berwal secured bronze in the men’s +90kg category after a 0-5 semifinal defeat to Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay. It is Narender’s second successive Asian Games bronze. The result confirmed his place on the podium.

Five of India’s six assured medals could still change colour, with Priya Ghanghas (women’s 60kg), Kapil Pokhariya (men’s 90kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 75kg) scheduled to fight for final places on Wednesday. Those three boxers will determine whether additional medals are upgraded to silver or gold.