Amit Panghal, Vishwanath enter BFI Cup semi-finals

Amit was joined by teammate S Vishwanath (Services), who breezed past C. Lukas (Tamil Nadu) 5:0

Hyderabad: Asiad gold medalist Amit Panghal (Services) led the charge in the men’s quarterfinals with a commanding 4:1 win over Usman Ansari (Services) in the BFI Cup boxing championship in Chennai on Sunday.

Amit was joined by teammate S Vishwanath (Services), who breezed past C. Lukas (Tamil Nadu) 5:0, and World Championships bronze medalist Mohammad Husamuddin (Services), who sealed his place in the semi-finals with a 5:0 triumph against M. Henthoi Singh (Services).

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In an endeavour to provide upcoming boxers a platform to showcase their skills and established stars an opportunity to test their preparations, BFI will host the inaugural BFI Cup 2025 in Chennai from October 1–7, featuring competitions for both Elite Men and Women across 10 weight categories each, aligned with World Boxing standards. Gold and silver medallists from the event will earn a pathway into the Elite National Camp.

On the women’s side, World Championships silver medalist Manju Rani (Railways) stormed into the final after defeating Mahi Siwach (Haryana) 5:0. World Youth Champion Ankushita Boro (Assam) also sealed her place in the summit clash with a 5:0 win over Shretima Thakur (Himachal Pradesh). Former Youth World Champion Arundhati Choudhary (Services) was equally dominant in her 5:0 victory against Deepika (SAI). Priya (Haryana) outpunched Jyoti (Delhi) 5:0, while World Championships bronze medalist Parveen Hooda (SAI) dismantled Mahi Lama (Madhya Pradesh) with a 5:0 decision to complete a stellar line-up of finalists.

Boxers from State units and boards that finished in the Top 8 at the Elite Nationals are in action at the BFI Cup, joined by entries from SAI NCOE and host state Tamil Nadu. The lineup also includes participants from the last two Elite National Championships, Indian team members from the 2024 and 2025 Asian U-22 Championships, as well as medalists from international competitions since 2022.

Adding further depth to the competition are medalists from the Goa and Uttarakhand National Games and the 6th Youth Nationals. All entries are routed through official State units and boards.