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Indian boxer Ankush Panghal advanced to the men's 80kg final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after securing a dominant unanimous decision victory over Canada's Joshua Ofori in the semifinal on Friday, according to ESPN.
Ankush, who entered the semifinal after defeating Seychelles' Jade Micock in the previous round, displayed impressive speed, accuracy and composure throughout the bout to assure India of at least a silver medal. The Indian started strongly in the opening round, landing clean combinations and effective punches to edge out Ofori, with all five judges awarding the round in his favour, according to ESPN. Ofori looked to step up the aggression in the second round, but Ankush continued to dominate with precise punches. The Canadian also lost a point for a blow to the back of the head, leaving Ankush firmly in control as he secured another 5-0 round verdict. In the final round, Ofori tried to make a comeback with aggressive attacks, but Ankush remained composed and defended well while landing key punches. The Indian boxer sealed the contest through a unanimous decision to book his place in the gold medal bout. Ankush's victory adds to India's strong boxing campaign at the Commonwealth Games, with the Indian contingent continuing its impressive run in Glasgow. Earlier in the day, Preeti Pawar stormed into the women's 54kg final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Zambia's Catherine Mwape. India has so far won 17 medals at the Commonwealth Games 2026, comprising three gold, nine silver and five bronze. The gold medals have come through Mirabai Chanu (women's 48kg weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (women's shot put F57) and Dilip Gavit (men's 100m T47). India have also claimed silver medals through Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare, Valluri Ajaya Babu, Harjinder Kaur, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Mohammed Basil and Lovepreet Singh, while bronze medals have been won by Jhandu Kumar, Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa K Shyla and Seema Kaliramna. (ANI)
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