'I want to redeem myself with gold in Birmingham': Amit Panghal

Boxer Amit Panghal entered last year’s Tokyo Olympics as world No 1 (52kg category) but lost his opening bout to Colombia’s Yuberjen Martinez. He has maintained a low profile since, participating in only one competition in Thailand. Ahead of his second Commonwealth Games, Panghal – who won a silver in Gold Coast four years back – opens up on his preparations, life post the Tokyo debacle and aspirations for CWG 2022 where he will be competing in the 51kg category. Excerpts:

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How has your preparation for Commonwealth Games (CWG) been?

The preparations are going fine. We are nearing the end of our two-week training stint in Belfast, Ireland, and all of us are shaping well for the Games. Endurance has been a weak area for me, so we have worked hard to address that. My ringwork needed more time too, but it did pick some pace over the past few weeks. The mood in the team is very positive. All of us are looking to put the Tokyo setback behind us and do well at CWG.

You tweeted a video where you were sparring with 60 kg boxer Jasmine, who is part of the women's team. What was that about?

There are not too many tall sparring partners in my weight class here, so I thought that sparring with her will help me get used to boxing taller opponents. Her weight class is also higher, so that’s another advantage. It was a mutually beneficial exercise as she got to train against a much quicker opponent. We will continue this practice for some time.

You faltered in the final at CWG 2018, going down to England’s Galal Yafai. What memories do you have of your first CWG?

I remember it was a close final and I lost by a split decision. Yafai was aggressive throughout and fought very well. I injured my left hand during the final but that was not the reason I lost. I lost because he was better than me. Yafai went on to win the Olympics gold in Tokyo, which shows his quality. I remember I was quite excited for the final and was looking forward to entertaining the crowd. It was my first CWG, so it will always remain very special. The loss did nothing to my confidence. I went to England later and sparred with Yafai, and tackled him rather easily. It’s just that he was better when it mattered.

What expectations do you have from yourself for CWG 2022?

I will be going for gold, obviously. I expect a strong challenge at CWG. There are no easy medals at this level. English boxers are very good and the event is happening in their backyard — that will be a big advantage for them. But my preparations are on track and I will do everything to change the colour of my medal. Having said that, boxing is a lot about how you do on that particular day. I had a bad day at the Olympics and all my preparation went to waste. I just hope nothing like that happens again. I have lived the extremes of sporting life. I have been world No 1 and then crashed out of the opening round of the Olympics. Nothing less than gold will put an end to those memories.

You have participated in only one competition – Thailand Open – post Olympics. Is that a concern?

That is a concern, but I couldn’t have participated in an international event without being fully fit. Since returning to the camp in January, it took me 4-5 months to get close to the desired fitness. Had I jumped into competitions half-baked and lost, it would have further dented my confidence. I was not sure of my fitness before the trials but I also wanted to test myself. So, I participated in Thailand.

You took silver at Thailand Open. How was the experience of returning to competitions and being among the medals?

It was great to win a medal, but Thailand Open was a bit of an eye-opener. I had stepped into the ring after a long time, so I was really hesitant to go for my punches. I was playing without the head guard after a while because we usually practice with the headgear on, so the fear of getting head-butted was also there. In my first bout, I was really scared. But as I began going deep into the competition, I got better and began to analyse my strengths and weaknesses.

How difficult was it to deal with the disappointment of an early exit in Tokyo?

Tokyo was a big letdown, easily among my lowest phases. There were days when I would just think about that Tokyo day for hours. There were nights when I would wake up in cold sweat. I was told I am being dropped from the national camp in Tokyo itself even as I was coming to terms with the loss. My confidence took a beating and being left out of the camp shattered my morale. My fitness went down and my skills suffered as I sat home for 3-4 months. All that is finally gone now and I don’t wish to dwell on it too much. It was the love for boxing that kept me going. I want to make it a golden redemption in Birmingham.

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