Amit Panghal creates history, becomes first Indian male boxer to reach World Championships final

In the final on Saturday, Panghal will be up against Rio Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov.

Ekaterinburg: Amit Panghal scripted history on Friday as he became the first Indian male boxer to reach the final of AIBA World Boxing Championships here in Russia.

• Pangal defeated Kazakhstan's Saken Bibossinov by split decision (3-2) in the 52kg semi-final on Friday to assure himself of at least a silver medal.
• In the final on Saturday, Panghal will be up against Rio Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov, who defeated Frenchman Billal Bennama in his semifinal showdown.

Meanwhile, another Indian boxer Manish Kaushik settled for bronze after losing his 63kg category semi-final 0-5 to reigning world champion Andy Cruz Gomez of Cuba.

Panghal and Kaushik's respective performances that earned them a spot at the semi-finals sealed their places in next year's Olympic qualifiers with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) stating earlier that those pugilists who win medals at the Worlds will be automatic picks for the qualifiers.

Interestingly, India had never won more than one bronze medal in a single edition of the world championships but Panghal and Manish Kaushik (63kg) changed that by making the semifinals.

The past Indian medal-winners at the world meet are Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (2011), Shiva Thapa (2015) and Gaurav Bidhuri (2017).