OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS: Twelve African boxers on parade today in Italy qualifiers
It’s another tough day for the 12 African boxers who will step through the ropes in today’s fourth day of the World Olympic Qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
Tuesday was a bad day in the office with over 15 African boxers losing their fights and only two winners.
After winning their opening fights on Sunday, Ghana’s enterprising flyweight Theophilus Allotey and Cape Verde’s David Pina are in action. Allotey, who lost in the semis to Tunisia’s Alaeddine Zidi in the Africa Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, trades leather with Bhutan’s top male boxer Tashi Wangdi for a place in the last 16. Bhutan, a Bhuddist kingdom, is a country in South Asia. Allotey is well aware of the defeat of three Ghanaians on Tuesday and will therefore aim at nothing short of victory to redeem themselves.
Pina is riding high following his upset 3-2 victory over Tashkent World Championships bronze medallist Martin Molina from Spain.He battles Korea’s 2017 world bronze medallist Inkyu Kim.
“I have to win this fight, I’m really inspired,” said Pina, bantamweight bronze medallist at the 2022 Africa Championships in Maputo.
Africa flyweight champion Said Mortaji from Morocco and Kenya’s Zone 3 flyweight champion David Karanja have a mountain to climb against formidable challenge from their opponents.
Mortaji meets stubborn Filipino Roven Ladon who won light-flyweight bronze at the 2015 world championships and is also twice gold medallist in the Southeast Asian Games.
Karanja takes on Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and 2021 world champion in Belgrade, Saken Bibossinov from Kazakhstan.
Namibia’s top flyweight Trofimus Johannes tackles 2021 world silver medallist Roscoe Hill from the USA.
Turning to the women’s fights, the middleweight will be another cracker with Kenya’s 2022 Africa silver medallist Liz Andiego lined up against 2022 world champion and 2021 Lithuania Female Boxer of the Year Gabriele Stonkute who is also Lithuania’s first ever medallist in the world championships.
Nigeria’s silver medallist at the 2023 Africa Championships in Yaounde, Patricia Mbata has modest opposition in Eseta Flint from Tonga, a semi-finalist in the Ocean Olympic qualifiers.
Africa’s super-heavyweights in action are Ghana’s Market Ahondjo, Senegal’s hero at the Dakar qualifiers Diarga Balde and Keddy Agnes of the Seychelles, a silver medallist in last year’s Africa Championships in Yaounde.
Balde is in for a nerve-wracking bout against Cuba’s Tashkent world silver medallist Fernando Arzola who lost in the Worlds finals to Uzbekistan’s Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov. Balde was the darling of Senegalese fans in the Dakar qualifiers in which he stormed the finals with victory over Morocco’s Mohammed Firisse but lost in the finals to Algeria’s Mourad Kadi.
📸Senegal’s Diarga Balde celebrates his qualification to the finals in the Dakar qualifiers. He meets Cuba’s world super-heavyweight silver medallist Fernando Arzola.
✍🏼 AFBC Communications