The Boxing Road To Paris 1st World Qualification Tournament, hosted at the E-Work Arena in Busto Arsizio, Italy, was officially opened today.
More than 600 boxers from 113 National Olympic Committees, including the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, registered to participate. Spanning from March 3 to March 11, these athletes will compete in 13 weight categories, aiming for 49 coveted Paris 2024 Olympic Quota Places (21 in the Women’s events and in the Men’s events).
In line with the PBU’s primary mandate, and to focus on the athletes and their road to Paris, boxers will only compete until the quota places are distributed, and no medal matches and medal ceremonies will be staged during the tournament.
The tournament started off today with the men’s 51kg division, where Justin John Sitchon Parina (CAN) and Theophilus Allotey (GHA) were the first winners of the day, overcoming Keymberth Jose Gonzalez Solarzano (VEN) and Po Wei Tu (TPE) respectively, both with a clear 5:0 victory. Chandra Bahadur Thapa of Nepal edged Tajikistan’s Mehron Shafiev 4-1 in a notable bout. In the meantime, Salvador Martin Molina (ESP) won by a split decision 3:2 over David De Pina (CPV). 2023 Pan American Games bronze medallist Ramon Nicanor Quiroga from Argentina ran out to a comfortable victory over Nurzhigit Diushebaev (KGZ). Omid Ahmadisafa of the Boxing Refugee Team and Wei Xuan Teo of Singapore easily advanced in the brackets as their contenders Zohaib Rasheed (PAK) and Fathia Shafik Mawanda (UGA) respectively withdrew from their bouts. Mexico’s Ari Bonilla was a convincing winner as he outscored Bashkim Bajoku of Kosovo 5-0. Nijat Huseynov (AZE) was on the winning side of a 3-2 split decision from the judges after a pulsating match against the Indian boxer Deepak at the E-Work Arena. Ukraine’s Dmytro Zamotayev executed some powerful blows to get a 5-0 victory over Jakub Slominski (POL). The Philippines’ Rogen Ladon sealed a 4-1 split decision victory against the home favourite Federico Serra. Istvan Szaka (HUN) faced a tough bout against Great Britain’s Kiaran MacDonald (GBR). Some sensational combinations were executed by both athletes but MacDonald secured a 3-2 split decision win. Jiamao Zhang (CHN) and Roscoe Hill (USA) impressed the judges, earning a sharp score of 5:0 respectively against Jabali George Breedy (BAR) and Daniyar Rozmetov (TKM). The referee had to stop in R3 in the match between Saken Bibossinov (KAZ) and Chun Hin Kanneth Tam (HKG). The Kazakh boxer showed off some powerful punches which let him advance in the tournament. Cosmin Petre Girleanu (ROU) went on the offensive and landed some powerful blows to Sean Mari (IRL) to take a 4:1 victory.
In the Men’s 71kg weight category, Turkmenistan’s Bayramdurdy Nurmuhamedov overwhelmed Miroslav Kapuler of Israel before the referee stopped the contest in R3. Milos Bartl (CZE) refused to give up against Juan Cedeno of Venezuela, sealing a 3:2 split decision win after a close battle. It took less than two rounds for Hungary’s Levente Gemes to defeat Pavel Kamanin (EST). Taufa Lavemaau (TGA) and Junior Petanqui (CAN) left no chances to Pavel Kamanin (EST) and to Bigate Naae Bighafa Armando (GBS) who both had to surrender via a 5:0 unanimous decision defeat. Destiny Idugboe (NGR) withdrew from his bout, handing a walkover win to his opponent SeokJun Son of South Korea.
Moving on to the Men’s +92kg event, Norvegia’s Omar Shiha secured maximum points in each round and, as a result, sealed a resounding 5:0 victory over Mohamed Firisse of Morocco. With the same scoreline, Gerlon Gilmar Congo Chala (ECU), going against Istvan Thberna (HUN), secured a unanimous decision win. Martin McDonagh of Ireland and Dusan Veletic of Serbia overcame Ali Fernely Feliz (DOM) and Cristian Camilo Salcedo Codazzi (COL) respectively, both via a 4:1 split decision win.
In the afternoon session, Claudia Totova of Czech Republic cleared her Women’s 50kg round of 64 match by outdoing Guatemala’s Aylin Jamez on points, to advance in the tournament.
In the same weight category, Rita Soares (POR), Guo Yi-Xuan (TPE), Daina Moorehouse (IRL), Rinka Kinoshita (JPN), Nina Radovanovic (SRB), Sofie Vinter Rosshaug (DEN), Ruhafzo Haqnazarova (TJK), Natalia Kuczewska (POL), and Victoria Ingrid Lorena Valencia (COL) all advanced to the Round of 32.
Moving on to the Women’s 57kg weight class, one of the tournament’s favourites, Nesthy Petecio (PHI), went up against Andela Brankovic from Serbia and cleared her way through the match in just 1 minute and 2 seconds as the referee had to stop the contest, propelling her onto the next phase of the tournament. There, she will meet Romania’s Maria Claudia Nechita, who advanced through a bye. Xu Zichun, from the People’s Republic of China, outscored Legnis Cala from Cuba with a commanding 5:0 score, joining Ana Marija Milisic (SUI) and USA’s Alyssa Mendoza in the Round of 32, to be contested on 7 March.
The Women’s 60kg Round of 64 saw 10 athletes at the starting blocks. Kazakhstan’s Rimma Volossenko won the category’s first match, outscoring Tianna Esha Hadhas-Sah Guy (TTO) with a sharp 5:0 victory. Portugal’s Carolina Ferreira beat Vietnam’s Thi Linh Ha via a 3:2 decision, to move on in the tournament’s brackets. Hanna Okhrei (UKR), Krisandy Rios (VEN), Tara Bohatjuk (BIH), Taguchi Ayaka (JPN), Agnes Alexiusson (SWE), Lenka Bernardova (CZE), Sheila Martinez Perez (ESP), and Christina Linardatou (GRE) all won their respective match, moving on to the Round of 32 phase to be held on 5 March.
The Boxing Road to Paris 1st World Qualification Tournament will continue tomorrow, 4 March, at the E-Work Arena in Busto Arsizio, Italy. 57 more bouts are scheduled to take place on two rings, in the women’s 54kg and in the men’s 57kg and 80kg categories.
Find today’s results and draw sheets, as well as tomorrow’s schedule here (see “Results” and “Schedule” sections at the bottom of the page), and keep on following the action on boxing.athlete365.org
