As we head into the medal rounds of the boxing tournaments at the Paris Olympics, here are the major storylines and talking points from the quarter finals.
Khelif overcomes controversy to secure victory
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, embroiled in controversy over the past few days, won a unanimous decision over Hungary’s Luca Hamori on Saturday. Khelif fought competitively and received substantial support from Algerians and other attendees. The scandal, a result of misinformation being spread about her sexuality, underscores the influence of social media and how quickly it can shape public perceptions. After the win, Khelif was overcome with emotion, responding with tears in the ring.
Major upset at women’s welterweight
Despite a first-round bye, Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng upset Turkey’s 2020 Olympic gold medalist, Busenaz Surmeneli. Surmeneli struggled with Suwannapheng’s movement, raising questions about her potential professional career. Suwannapheng will face Khelif in the semi-finals, while Surmeneli will leave without a medal.
Turkish flyweight advances
Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu appears to be a lock for gold as she advances to the semifinals after defeating Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-oja. Cakiroglu will face the Philippines’ Aira Villegas in the medal round.
Jalolov advances despite struggles
Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov beat Australia’s Teremoana Junior to reach the medal rounds, although his victory was contentious. Junior appeared to win the first two rounds, but the judges scored the first for Jalolov. Despite the win, Jalolov showed vulnerability against a similarly sized opponent. Jalolov will face Germany’s Nelvie Tiafack in the semi-finals.
France’s Bennama in medal contention
French flyweight Bilal Bennama won a narrow 3-2 decision against Cuba’s Alejandro Claro. Bennama will face Junior Alcantara of the Dominican Republic in the semifinals. Cape Verde’s Daniel Varela de Pina will meet Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, on the other side of the bracket.
U.S. women’s team goes home with no medals
Finland’s Kaivo-oja defeated Team USA’s Jennifer Lozano in the women’s flyweight division in her first bout. Lozano never settled into the fight, succumbing to Kaivo-oja’s pace and volume. Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova narrowly won against Morelle McCane. A slow start from McCane, who lost the first round, cost her the fight. Alyssa Mendoza lost a close decision to Brazil’s Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu, unable to recover after losing the first round 3-2. All four members of the U.S. women’s boxing team have been eliminated before the medal rounds, marking a disappointing outcome for USA Boxing, especially given the odd qualification process.
The lone American medalist: Omari Jones
With the elimination of the U.S. women, the country’s boxing hopes now rest on welterweight Omari Jones. Featherweight Jahmal Harvey was eliminated by Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu. A clean punch landed by Harvey floored Seiitbek Uulu, only for it to be incorrectly ruled a slip, setting the tone for the fight and creating a scorecard deficit Harvey couldn’t overcome. The harshest reality is that it felt as though the referee, by not calling a knockdown, decided the outcome as much as the fighters. Seiitbek Uulu will next fight Bulgaria’s Javier Ibanez, who defeated Japan’s Shudai Harada to reach the medal rounds. Jones, who has won both of his matches 5-0, secured at least a bronze medal with his victory over Bulgaria’s Rami Mofid Kiwan. He will face Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev in the semi-finals. He will be the only American to medal in boxing at this Olympic Games.
Only one for Great Britain, too
Welterweight Lewis Richardson of Great Britain ended the Cinderella story of Jordan’s Zeyad Ishaish. Richardson, the only member of Great Britain to medal, will face Mexico’s Marco Verde, who ended the medal hopes of India’s Nishant Dev. Dev was winning the first round until a standing-eight was called after Verde landed a solid punch. Verde is hard to call regarding his Olympic fortunes, but as a pro, he is sure to be signed by a major promoter after he bit down in the third and final round to swing the fight in his favor (shades of so many Mexican legends). Verde will now medal, at the very least. The winner would face Team USA’s Jones or Uzbekistan’s Muydinkhujaev, who will, as mentioned, face each other in the semis.
The great Kellie Harrington
We know the name Katie Taylor, but the next era of Irish boxing might belong to Kellie Harrington. Harrington defeated Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira in the semi-finals match to advance to the gold medal round at women’s lightweight. It was a rematch of the fighters’ 2020 Olympics gold medal match and was an all-time classic that came down to the final bell. It simply just lacked the drama of being for it all, as it should’ve been. Harrington, who will be the lone Irish Olympian in boxing to medal, is aiming to become a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Harrington will face China’s Wenlu Yang in the finals and be a massive favorite. Harrington and Ferreira were seen as the two best fighters in the bracket but fought in the semis.
Cuba’s decline
While Uzbekistan has excelled with hopes of matching or eclipsing their three gold medals from the 2016 Olympic Games, Cuba will leave with only two medals this year. Middleweight Arlen Lopez, a two-time gold medalist, and lightweight Erislandy Alvarez are the only remaining Cuban boxers still competing in Paris. Alvarez will face Georgia’s Lasha Guruli in the last four. Lopez is perceived to be in a close fight with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak, who has an offense-first style, similar to that of former Ukrainian boxer Ievgen Khytrov.
Other matchups
In the lightweight division, Canada’s Wyatt Sanford will face France’s Sofiane Oumiha to determine who will compete against Cuba’s Alvarez. Oumiha, a three-time Olympian, will fight at home in front of a lively crowd. In the heavyweight division, Spain’s Enmanuel Reyes will face Azerbaijan’s Loren Alfonso. Both are former Cuban fighters who defected to represent other countries. They could face Uzbekistan’s Lazizbek Mullojonov in the gold medal match.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.