Fast and furious, Amit is lord of the ring

Sunit Dhawan

Where there is a will, there is a way. The against-the-odds rise of Amit Panghal aptly illustrates the idea hidden in the adage. Son of a small-time farmer from a non-descript village, Mayna, in Rohtak district, Amit punched his way to a gold medal at the Asian Games last year, and a silver medal at the ultra-competitive boxing World Championships last month. 

Now a force to reckon with in the boxing world, Amit comes from humble background, having battled poverty and related problems right from his childhood. His family owned a small chunk of land and his father had to drive a truck to make ends meet. Born on October 16, 1995, Amit’s brush with boxing started early — his elder brother, Ajay, was into boxing, and that encouraged Amit to take up the sport when he was barely 10. “I would take Amit to a boxing academy on my bicycle. However, our family didn’t have the means to support both of us, so I quit the game and joined the Army,” recalls Ajay. Nevertheless, the going was still tough and Amit’s father had to take loans to fund his training. Thankfully, Amit did not let the sacrifices made by his family go waste. He worked hard and obeyed the advice of his coaches religiously. Thanks to his dedication and relentless practice, he soon built up a reputation for himself at national level. He made his presence felt first at the national level when he bagged a gold medal at the 25th Sub-junior National Boxing Championship in 2009. He won the top honours at several inter-university tournaments and was adjudged the best boxer in several state-level championships.

The Rohtak pugilist represented Haryana in the 45th Junior Boxing Championship in 2012. He won a gold in the inaugural Dr BR Ambedkar All-India Boxing Championship at Visakhapatnam the same year.  A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) with the Indian Army, Panghal won a bronze medal in the light flyweight category at the Asian Amateur Boxing Championship in 2017.

First brush with fame

The Haryana lad shot to international fame when he won a gold medal at the prestigious Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018. He created history when he became the first Indian boxer to win silver in the AIBA World Boxing Championship in Russia last month. 

“I am a devotee of Lord Hanuman and always chant Jai Bajrang Bali before entering the ring. I am thankful to the Almighty and my parents for having supported me all along,” Amit told The Tribune in a recent interaction. The spunky pugilist is now eyeing gold in the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

“The credit for my achievements goes to my elder brother who prompted me to take up boxing and sacrificed his own career to support me. I also owe my success to my coach Anil Dhankhar and other coaches who trained me while serving the Army and at training camps.”

No wonder, everyone concerned with Amit’s successful journey is delighted. “Amit worked really hard and we are glad his efforts have borne fruit,” says Amit’s father Vijender. The entire village is proud of the feats he has accomplished, and most of them gather at his house whenever he enters the ring for a big fight.  Sitting around a neem tree in the courtyard of Amit’s house, they watch the match in rapt attention. They clap and jump with joy as Amit punches his rival boxers and wins medals. Dinesh, the sarpanch of the village, has urged the Haryana government to set up a boxing academy at the village in Amit’s name. 

A reasonable demand, without a shadow of doubt.