India's medal prospect Amit Panghal to enter Tokyo Olympics as top seed in boxing

India's Amit Panghal received a boost of confidence ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, as he was ranked World No. 1 by Boxing Task Force (BTF) in the 52kg flyweight category.

The 25-year old booked his spot for the Olympics in March 2020, after he defeated Carlo Paalam in the quarterfinals of the Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament.

The win meant he was among the top six players at the tournament, which was the qualification criteria for the Olympics.

The boxer has shown good consistency over the years. This is the second time he has been ranked World No. 1 by the BTF, the earlier instance being in February 2020. The feat made Amit Panghal the first male Indian boxer to be ranked No.1 in any weight division since Vijender Singh in 2009.

The rankings won't only be a confidence booster but will also help Panghal get a good draw in the event. Rank one would mean he would be top-seeded in the competition.

The event will be a knockout competition featuring the 32 best boxers in the world, where the top eight seeds will face each other starting the Round of 16.

Talking about the top eight seeds, one of his biggest threats would be Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov.

Zoirov is the defending champion in the flyweight category, clinching gold at the 2016 Olympics. He has defeated Amit Pangal twice, once in the finals of the AIBA World Boxing Championship and again in this year's Asian Championship.

Amit Panghal's success and wish ahead of the Olympics

Contrary to Zoirov, Amit Panghal is an amateur boxer who won his first medal at the Asian Championships in 2017 and has a total of three medals in the light flyweight category. But as per the new rules in place this year, the light flyweight category has been removed.

Speaking about his success in the flyweight category, Panghal then won gold at the 2018 Asian Games and Boxing World Cup in 2020. He added a silver to his cabinet at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championship.

The latest medal to be won by the Olympian is the bronze, which came at the 2020 Asia Oceanic Boxing Olympics Qualifiers.

Amit Panghal will be making his debut at the Olympics this year. Nine Indian boxers, including Panghal, are set to compete in Tokyo for the gold. The boxing event will commence from July 28 and continue until August 7.

The player has also expressed a wish to the federation to take his childhood coach to the Tokyo Olympics.