Ankush reached the men’s 80kg boxing final at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian male boxer in eight years to reach an Asian Games final. He defeated Uzbekistan’s reigning world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 in the semifinal, losing the first round before dominating the second and third. Ankush will face South Korea’s Kim Min-Seong in the gold medal bout. Amit Panghal, who won gold in 2018, was the last Indian man to reach an Asian Games final. Parveen also reached the women’s 65kg final on the same day, defeating China’s Li Shu 5-0. She will face Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei. Narender won bronze in the +90kg category after losing his semifinal. Indian boxing coaches praised Ankush’s composure against the world champion. Context: Boxing is one of India’s strongest sports at multi-sport events, with Mary Kom and Lovlina Borgohain among its Olympic medallists. The Indian contingent celebrated a landmark day for the boxing squad.