India boxer Amit Panghal was knocked out of the Paris Olympics after losing to Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba 1-4 on points in the 51kg Round of 16 bout here on Tuesday. The 2019 world championship silver medallist faced considerable pressure from the energetic Zambian, the reigning African Games champion, right from the opening round.
Panghal's defensive strategy proved costly as the third-seeded Chinyemba took on the role of aggressor in the first three minutes. The seasoned boxer, who won gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022, could not get going against his third-seeded opponent and went down 29-28, 27-28, 28-29, 27-30, 28-29.
Trailing on three cards in split decision in the first rounds, Panghal came out aggressively but struggled to land his punches, The judges gave the second round too to Chinyemba.
Both boxers had significant exchanges in the last three minutes, with Panghal trying to exert pressure. But the Indian was not able to persuade the judges as all five ruled in favour of the Zambian. For Panghal, the defeat brought back memories of his early elimination from the Tokyo Olympics.
(With inputs from IANS)
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