Narender Berwal walked away from the Asian Games with a bronze in the men’s +90kg division, but not before a 0‑5 unanimous defeat by Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay sealed his fate.
Oralbay took charge from the opening bell, dispatching Narender round after round – 5‑0, 5‑0, 5‑0 – leaving the Indian boxer unable to mount a comeback.
Parveen Hooda, the 65kg female boxer, outclassed China’s Li Shu with a clean 5‑0 win in the semifinal, marking her first Asian Games final since the 2022 Games.
Ankush Panghal staged a comeback against Uzbekistan’s world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev, rebounding from a 4‑1 deficit to win 3‑2 in the second round and then 5‑0 in the decisive final round.
With Narender’s bronze and the two semi‑final triumphs, India now boasts six medals in boxing, surpassing the four‑medal haul of the previous edition. The next hurdle for Parveen and Ankush is the gold‑medal bout, where they will face top‑ranked opponents from China and Pakistan.