Express News Service
“He’s not the first boxer to be bamboozled by Amit Panghal, and he won’t be the last either.” Those words by the TV commentator during the course of the men’s 51kg final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Sunday summed up how the Indian was bossing the engaging contest, which had the gold medal on the line.
Amit was doing what Amit does best. With long-range blows (something that he prefers) or medium-range uppercuts, he was finding the gaps at will with his speed and ring intelligence to penetrate his rival’s, England’s Kieran MacDonald, defences.
“The last time I saw Amit put up a similar kind of performance was during the Asian Games and World Championships,” former India men’s chief coach CA Kuttappa, who is currently part of the coaching staff in NIS Patiala, told this newspaper.
Kieran had done everything right until the final — two wins by the unanimous verdict and one win by RSC before Sunday. Boxing on familiar turf, the England star, also a southpaw, was expected to give a tricky test to Amit.
The English boxer made a watchful start, landing some body shots. However, Amit, with a nuanced method of operation, was willing to play the waiting game.
Whenever the opportunity arose, he was making those sudden bursts to rattle Kieran. In the end, the Indian, with some venomous hits with his left (strong hand), was in front in the judges’ scorecard.
In the second round, Amit, having assessed his opponent, was taking more chances and throwing some uppercuts and body shots. The damage was clear when the referee briefly halted the contest for Kieran, who had suffered a near his right eye, to seek medical attention.
On resumption, Amit was going for the kill and throwing some big combination punches. Kieran was not backing down and kept coming after Amit.
However, Amit was in the zone and too swift for the local star and continued to rattle him with heavy fists. There was clear daylight between the two on the judges’ card with Amit miles ahead heading into the final 180 seconds of the match.
In the end, Amit continued to punches rolling to keep his rival at bay and finish on a high.
This gold comes after his biggest low just last year. Having headed into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the top seed, Amit had been knocked out in his very first bout.
His reputation was in tatters. It was a harsh reality check for someone who had crushed some big dogs in the sport to attain numero uno status in his weight category.
He was obviously deflated but deep down, he was aware this is the nature of the sport.
Setbacks in the past had helped him to take losses in stride. He had to go back to the drawing board and recalibrate. So he took some time off from the national circuit, giving national championships a miss.
Going back to roots
That had meant boxers like Deepak Bhoria, who competes in Amit’s category, had threatened to take the No 1 spot in his weight category.
Deepak had also beaten some high-profile boxers and was making the right noises. Missing the nationals meant Amit was also not part of the camp initially.
He instead chose to train near his home in Rohtak and had his coach Anil Dhankar and local aspirants get back on his feet.
“He started training with the boys from the training centre here and kept improving his game. He was upbeat and entered the camp and he hasn’t looked back since,” Anil told this daily.
After returning to the camp, he won a silver medal in the Thailand International meet. That was a step in the right direction. A win against Deepak in the national trials was just the balm that he needed.
“He had been working hard with the coaches at the camp and I also pay a visit every now and then. He also used to come to our centre at Rohtak,” Anil said.
Having ticked off the right boxes during this edition of CWG, Amit is on the right path to recovery as he aims for a second shot at the Olympics. “It was excellent. He is back in form. It’s a new beginning,”
Anil said, summing up Amit’s golden run. Amit had won silver in the 2018 edition in Gold Coast.
It’s a fresh beginning indeed. Amit would this time be determined to soldier on and build on this great showing.
Minimum weight, max output
Nitu Ganghas capped off her superb CWG campaign with another dominating performance in the minimumweight category (48kg) to open India’s gold account in boxing. It is dream come true for Nitu, who has had her share of struggles (both on and off the field) in the past.
With RSC (referee stops contest) and ABD (abandoned) wins coming into the final, Nitu was tipped on a high. And she didn’t disappoint against her opponent from England. With her immaculate technique and height advantage, she was too strong for Demie-Jade Resztan.
It’s an ideal start for Nitu, who looks up to MC Mary Kom. With big shoes to fill, the 21-year-old is looking to take confidence from this outing and win more medals for the country in the near future.
Gold for Nikhat
Nikhat Zareen, meanwhile, lived up to her billing to put up another polished show. This is her second successive gold at the marquee meet after her win at the World Championships earlier this year. Nikhat, like Nitu, was dictating play and was controlling the pace of the 50kg bout against Carly McNaul of Northern Ireland.
This win should only add more belief to her boxing abilities. Having been in the background in the past, Nikhat clearly seems to be enjoying the present.
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