Asian Games: Ankush Reaches 80kg Final; Narender Wins Bronze After Semifinal Defeat

Indian boxers continued their impressive campaign at the Asian Games 2026 as Ankush Panghal stormed into the men’s 80kg final.

Ankush stunned reigning 75kg world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev with a 4-1 comeback victory in the semifinal. He trailed 1-4 after the opening round but responded strongly in the second.

Ankush edged the second round 3-2 with accurate punches. He then dominated the third round 5-0 to complete the comeback.

Four judges scored the bout 29-28 in Ankush’s favour, while one judge gave Erkinboev a 29-28 verdict.

The victory made Ankush the first Indian male boxer to reach an Asian Games final since Amit Panghal won the 49kg gold at the 2018 Jakarta Games.

Narender Berwal, meanwhile, settled for bronze after losing his +90kg semifinal against Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay. The Kazakh boxer secured a unanimous 5-0 victory.

Oralbay controlled the opening round with powerful punches and won it 5-0. He maintained pressure in the second round before adopting a defensive approach in the third to keep Narender at bay.

Earlier, Parveen Hooda reached the women’s 65kg final with a commanding 5-0 win over China’s Li Shu.

Parveen edged the opening round 3-2 with effective counter-punching. She then dominated the second and third rounds, winning both 5-0.

Three judges awarded her a 29-28 score, while two gave her a 30-27 verdict.

Parveen will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the final for gold.

India have now secured six boxing medals at the Games, surpassing their five-medal tally from Hangzhou.

Narender had won bronze in the men’s +92kg event at the previous Asian Games.

Also Read: Asian Games: Neeru Dhanda Clinches Historic Women’s Trap Gold With Asian Record