TIL Desk Sports/ Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal will make his competitive debut in the new weight class of 52 kg in the Asian Boxing Championship which begins here on Friday, and is eyeing the tournament as a platform to understand the strength and weaknesses of Asian boxers in the new category.
The Rohtak-born boxer was forced to shift to the new category as the 49 kg was dropped from the Olympic programme last month by the AIBA, amateur boxing’s world governing body. Panghal said it will be a challenging task to play in a complete new category however; he has worked on it and is hopeful of another successful tournament. “It has been a challenge as you need more power and reach in 52 kg.
There has been a lot of focus on this aspect and I have worked on it. As more power is involved, I have tried to gain weight,” the 23-year-old said. Regarding the championship, Panghal said: “I will be playing in 52 kg for the first time. It is a good opportunity to know the Asian boxers in this category as it is an olympic weight and it will help me for my World championship prepration.”
