Xtra Time Web Desk: Defending champion Amit Panghal (52kg) stormed into the final of Asian Boxing Championships held in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Top seeded Panghal got the better of Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan 5-0.
Panghal was in top form as he took control with his sharp counter-attacks against the defensively weaker Bibossinov.
The Indian played the waiting game to perfection as the third-seeded Bibossinov’s plan to dazzle him with early aggression fell flat as the bout progressed. The world number one from Haryana became the aggressor in the final round as Bibossinov ran out of steam.
On Thursday night, four Indian women boxers had advanced to the finals. Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) and Anupama (+81kg) won their bouts to make the summit clash.
Meanwhile, it was heartbreak for two-time world youth champion Sakshi Choudhary (54kg) as she lost her final spot after her rival, top-seeded Kazakh Dina Zholaman, successfully challenged the narrow victory that she had clinched in the last-four stage.