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Ankush Panghal Beats Erkinboev to Reach 80kg Final

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 4:05 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Ankush Panghal Advances

Ankush Panghal beat reigning world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 to reach the men’s 80 kg final at the 2026 Asian Games.
It was the first Indian male boxer in an Asian Games final since Amit Panghal in 2018.
Parveen Hooda beat China’s Li Shu 5-0 to become the third Indian woman boxer to reach an Asian Games final.

Summary

Ankush Panghal Secures Funding

Ankush Panghal received Rs 75,000 from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme for the Asian Games cycle.
He was allocated Rs 8,68,434 through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions programme.
National coaching camps under the ACTC gave him training exposure, including the Golden Gloves of Vojvodina.
Coach Pradeep Sawant emphasized sand-dune endurance runs in his village training routine.
His father Suresh persuaded him to continue boxing after a discouraging final at age 14.

History

Historical Context

In September 2014 the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) to fund elite athletes for medals at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The scheme expanded in 2020 to cover junior athletes, a framework that underpins the financial support given to boxer Ankush Panghal for the 2026 Asian Games.

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Ankush Panghal Advances

Ankush Panghal beat reigning world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 to reach the men’s 80 kg final at the 2026 Asian Games.
It was the first Indian male boxer in an Asian Games final since Amit Panghal in 2018.
Parveen Hooda beat China’s Li Shu 5-0 to become the third Indian woman boxer to reach an Asian Games final.

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