Indian boxers Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal secured medals at the Asian Games 2026 in Nishio on Tuesday. Ankush defeated Uzbekistan’s reigning 75kg world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 in the men’s 80kg semifinal and reached the final. Narender lost his +90kg semifinal to Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay and finished with a bronze medal. Key HighlightsAnkush Panghal won his 80kg semifinal 4-1.He came from behind after losing the first round.Narender Berwal lost his +90kg semifinal 0-5.Narender secured a bronze medal for India. How Did Ankush Panghal Reach the Final?Ankush faced a tough opponent in Fazliddin Erkinboev of Uzbekistan. Erkinboev is the reigning world champion in the 75kg category.Ankush lost the first round by a 1-4 score. He then changed his approach and started landing more punches in the second round.The second round was close, but Ankush won it 3-2. He then controlled the third round and won it 5-0.Four of the five judges gave the fight to Ankush. The final decision was 4-1 in his favour. “Ankush registered a brilliant come-from-behind win over Erkinboev in the semifinal by 4-1.” What Happens Next for Ankush?Ankush will now compete in the men’s 80kg gold-medal bout. He has become the first Indian male boxer to reach an Asian Games final since Amit Panghal won gold in the 49kg category at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Ankush has already secured at least a silver medal. He will now look to finish his Asian Games campaign with gold.How Did Narender Berwal Win Bronze?Narender Berwal competed in the men’s +90kg semifinal against Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay. Oralbay is the reigning world champion in the category.Narender tried to fight back, but Oralbay controlled the bout. The Kazakh boxer won all three rounds and took the semifinal by a 5-0 unanimous decision.Narender therefore finished the competition with a bronze medal. He had also won bronze at the previous Asian Games. What Does This Mean for Indian Boxing?The results gave India two more boxing medals at the Asian Games. Ankush has moved into the gold-medal bout, while Narender has completed his event with bronze.Earlier on Tuesday, Parveen Hooda also reached the women’s 65kg final after beating China’s Li Shu 5-0. India therefore has two boxers, Ankush and Parveen, competing for gold medals. Also Read : Asian Games 2026: Neeru Dhanda Wins Historic Trap Gold With Asian Record
