Bhoria, Panghal rivalry adds spark ahead of Asian Games selection

When Deepak Bhoria stood on the podium at the world championships on Saturday, it was the culmination of more than a decade-long struggle. A frail boy facing financial constraints to start with, Bhoria had to wage battles at every step to keep his passion for boxing burning.

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A bronze in Tashkent has fuelled the 51kg boxer’s ambition to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. For that to happen, Bhoria must beat his seasoned rival at home – Amit Panghal -- and book his spot for the Asian Games, a qualifier for the Olympics.

Bhoria, 25, has once displaced Panghal in the evaluation process at the national camp which earned him selection for the Tashkent world championships. But to get past Panghal twice will be tougher. Panghal, the only Indian male boxer with a world championships silver (2019), is still regarded as the country’s best in flyweight, and he will come back hard to wrest his place from Bhoria.

These two top contenders for the Asian Games team will provide a good selection headache for high performance director Bernard Dunne.

Bhoria though is raring to have a go at Panghal.

“We have different styles. Amit is very good tactically. When you have a quality competitor like Amit it keeps you on your toes and helps you to get better. But my focus is not only Amit but how to improve from here,” said Bhoria.

“I need to be more aggressive in the first round and get better in pressure situations. I need to work on the physical and mental aspects.”

Bhoria’s mind is swirling with strategies since losing the semi-final bout to Billal Bennama of France by a slender margin on Thursday. The bout went to review after the five judges scored 3-2 in Billal’s favour. The review showed even the observer and evaluator were split (1:1), resulting in a win by points (4-3) for Billal – a two-time bronze medallist in the worlds.

Had Bhoria made it to the final, he would have got an automatic selection for the Huangzhou Asian Games in September-October. As per the BFI selection policy, world championships finalists were to be given direct selection. However, Bhoria’s bronze has thrown a lifeline to Panghal. The Hisar boxer now will have to renew his rivalry with Panghal at the national camp.

Bhoria’s coach Rajesh Sheoran, who has played a crucial role in his tough journey, gave a peek into his mindset.

“He is mentally very strong because he has seen bad times early in his life. His focus on the sport is unwavering and he has a lot of patience. This bronze should only push him to qualify for Paris,” Sheoran said.

There was a time when Bhoria wanted to quit because of meagre finances. However, support from his coach and friends helped him stick to boxing.

“My coach has played an important role. There were many well-wishers and friends who supported me, constantly motivated me to continue boxing. My family is happy that I could win a medal after a long gap,” Bhoria said.

His previous international competition was the 2021 world championships in Serbia, after which he struggled with a shoulder injury. “For one-and-a-half years I could not compete as I was doing rehab. In between, the only fight I had was with Amit in the CWG trials.”

Injuries have plagued Bhoria earlier also. In 2011, he fractured his right hand and underwent surgery. It made him work tirelessly to develop a lethal left hook that became his main weapon against world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Saken Bibossinov, whom he beat in Tashkent. Bhoria's clean punches, defence and nifty feet movement attest to his quality.

When in form, Panghal is a force to reckon with in the ring. He has beaten Bibossinov twice. From 2018 to 2021, Panghal was in sublime form. His swift counter-attacking style and ability to slip past the rival’s punches and land his shots with eye-catching speed made him beat some of the world’s best. Panghal has plenty of experience and can adapt to different styles.

One fight where Panghal looked out of sorts was against Yuberjen Martínez in the Tokyo Olympics, after receiving a first-round bye to get into that pre-quarterfinal bout. That day he did not have any answer to the Colombian’s furious attacks. Following that defeat, Panghal was not to be seen for months. He resurrected his career with the Birmingham CWG gold last year, only for Bhoria to stand in his way. Either way, it is good for Indian boxing.

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