Boxer Amit Panghal enters Tokyo Olympics as World No. 1 | Tokyo Olympics

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Boxing Task Force selected India’s Amit Panghal as the World No. 1 boxer in his men’s flyweight (52kg) category on Saturday, providing a major morale boost ahead of the Tokyo Games (BTF).

The reigning Asian Games champion and World Championships silver medalist is the lone Indian boxer among the nine men and women pugilists slated to compete in Tokyo. The news will undoubtedly motivate Panghal to Olympic victory, as the No. 1 ranking comes just 27 days before the Tokyo Games’ boxing competitions (July 24-August 8).

Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan, the Rohtak boy’s nearest opponent and recent adversary, has been placed fifth in the world. Billal Bennama (World No. 2) of France, Mohamed Flissi (No. 3) of Algeria, and Hu Jianguan of China are the other three boxers in the top five of the 52kg category (No. 4).

Among them, Amit Panghal has defeated Bennama and Jianguan once each, while he has lost to Zoirov in all his three meetings so far, with the latest being the controversial 2-3 defeat in the final of the Asian boxing championships in Dubai. Against Flissi, Panghal has never competed before.

The No. 1 rating will undoubtedly aid Panghal in earning a favourable Olympic draw, as he is unlikely to meet any serious competition before the quarterfinals. The top-eight seeds in Tokyo would not face until the quarterfinals, leaving Panghal to focus on his two Round of 32 and 16 matchups. Because of his top billing, he’ll almost certainly get a bye in the Round of 64.

The number one ranking also validates Panghal’s match consistency, as it’s the second time in less than 15 months that he’s been ranked first. The BTF ranked the diminutive pugilist No. 1 ahead of the Asian Olympics qualifier in Amman, Jordan in March 2020.

As per latest Rankings

According to the latest rankings for the Tokyo Olympics (as of June 18, 2021), the Indian has maintained his lead. As a result, Panghal becomes only the second Indian boxer to reach the top spot since Vijender Singh, who won bronze at the 2009 World Championships, was ranked No. 1 in the middleweight division.

Among the other Tokyo-bound Indian boxers, six-time world champion, M C Mary Kom, has been ranked seventh in her 51kg category, with her nearest rivals, China’s Chang Yuan (2nd) and Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsiao-Wen (3rd), placed above her in the BTF rankings. Other three women boxers in the top-10 are Simranjit Kaur (60kg, 4th ranked), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg, 5th ranked) and Pooja Rani Bohra (75kg, 8th ranked).

In the men’s category, the four other Tokyo-bound boxers are ranked: Manish Kaushik (63kg, 18th), Vikas Krishan Yadav (69kg, 10th) and Ashish Kumar Chaudhary (75kg, 9th) and Satish Kumar (+91kg, 9th).

After the AIBA was suspended owing to issues about financing, governance, ethics, and refereeing and judging, the IOC’s BTF was tasked with organising and delivering the qualification events for boxing and the Olympic boxing games in Tokyo.

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