BOXING | Amit Panghal to stick to home conditions to train for the Paris Games

Unlike most of the Olympic-bound athletes, who opt to train abroad before the big event, boxer Amit Panghal prefers training in home conditions prior to Paris 2024. A former World championships silver medallist and a World No. 1, Panghal won the 51kg quota place in the only chance he got. He wants to follow his own plans to script success in Paris.

Unlike most of the Olympic-bound athletes, who opt to train abroad before the big event, boxer Amit Panghal prefers training in home conditions prior to Paris 2024.

A former World championships silver medallist and a World No. 1, Panghal won the 51kg quota place in the only chance he got. He wants to follow his own plans to script success in Paris.

“I will not go abroad. I find it difficult as far as food is concerned. I will train here with boxers from heavier weights because they have better endurance, speed, and power than me. If I can handle them here, I can handle my opponents in the Olympics,” Panghal, the Commonwealth Games champion, told The Hindu.

“I would like to do high altitude training, maybe at Shilaru for two-three weeks, to improve my fitness.”

Instead of accompanying the rest of the Indian squad to Bangkok for a camp ahead of the second World Olympic qualifier, Panghal – who had unpleasant experience during a pre-Olympics camp in Italy and performed below par in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – trained with his basics coach Anil Dhankhar and Cuban B.I. Fernandes (who works at the National Centre of Excellence, Rohtak).

“I had problems with food and training, especially with boxers with whom I was going to fight, in the past. There is no issue, specifically with diet, when I train in India.

“I have been training with Fernandes. Whenever I get a break, I train with him. I had requested the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to let me train in India and they agreed. I was provided with sparring partners.”