Amit Panghal (49kg) was the lone Indian boxer to make the final of the 18th Asian Games, beating Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in a fiercely-contested semifinal bout hereon Friday.
Amit prevailed 3-2 in a draining contest to make the finals after Vikas krishan (75kg) had to withdraw from his last-four bout owing to an eye injury sustained in the pre-quarters.
In a see-saw battle which swung decisively in his favour in the final three minutes, Amit recovered from a shaky opening round to assure himself of at least a silver on debut at the Games.
The Filipino was aggressive but Amit too managed to connect just enough right straights to fetch a split verdict in his favour.
The Armyman, who hails from Haryana, won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, besides a gold at the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria.