The first weekend of Olympic boxing ended with many fans either not knowing how to watch it or simply uninterested. With many top fighters getting the day off from the tournament, here’s what you might have missed at the 2024 Paris Olympics so far.
Controversy over seeding
Seeding issues have marred the competition. In the super heavyweight division, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov is seeded No. 4, while Joshua Edwards of the United States is seeded No. 1. In the women’s bracket, Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil and Kellie Harrington, the clear No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, are placed in the same bracket as No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. That has led to some lopsided matchups, similar to golf’s Open Championship, where favorable draws can significantly affect results. Many players enter the medal fights in the early rounds. For example, U.S. featherweight Jahmal Harvey will face Luiz Oliveira in his first fight, despite Oliveira beating him and both are considered medal favorites.
Surprises
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Julio Cesar La Cruz of Cuba was eliminated in a surprising turn of events, defeated by Loren Alfonso, a Cuban defector who now represents Algeria, in the opening heavyweight fight. Alfonso now looks like a sturdy medal contender. The 3-2 split decision reflected the uncertainty everyone had about who would win.
Australian lightweight fan favorite Harry Garside was eliminated in the first round by Richard Kovacs of Hungary. Garside’s style seems to be somewhere between professional and amateur. Kovacs, a cunning fighter who throws a lot of powerful punches while countering, will face French favorite Sofiane Oumiha.
US starts sturdy but hits roadblock
The U.S. team showed promise early on. Lightweight Jajaira Gonzalez dominated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Estelle Mossley of France in the first round. Gonzalez’s high-guard pressure style wore Mossley down, and she was deducted a point for holding. Gonzalez’s tough road continued Monday when she faced Brazil’s Ferreira. Ferreira defeated Gonzalez in a close and exhilarating fight, a rematch of the semifinals of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, which Ferreira also won. The fight underscored Gonzalez’s potential if she decides to turn pro, as it felt more like a title fight than an early round of the Olympics.
Ferreira, a professional boxer who won silver at the 2020 Olympics and returned for gold, celebrated after the final round as if she had defended her IBF lightweight title. The victory brings Ferreira one step closer to a rematch of her 2020 Olympic gold-medal fight with Irishwoman Harrington.
Flyweight Roscoe Hill also impressed with his unique and awkward style, advancing from the round of 32. Hill will now face the No. 1 seed from the host nation, Bilal Bennama, in what could be one of the strangest fights in Olympic history, as both fighters are counter-punching with unconventional techniques.
Super heavyweight Joshua Edwards became the first American to lose, when he was thrown out of the ring by Italian Diego Lenzi despite being the No. 1 seed in the division. Edwards lost a point in the second round for keeping his head down, an unnecessary deduction. The fight was unimpressive and close, but Edwards, who needed to win two fights to medal, was eliminated after the first fight. Even without the point deduction, Edwards would have lost, but losing that point disrupted his focus and mentality, affecting his performance. Often, Olympic boxing comes down to winning the first round, and Edwards made the first round a swing round—open to interpretation, which was costly.
Despite starting 2-0, the U.S. has now seen the elimination of two Olympic medal contenders as some of the strongest contenders took the stage on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The outcome of the next few days will determine USA Boxing’s medal hopes in 2024.
Megafight Alert: Can Jalolov Lose?
Australian super heavyweight Teremoana Junior knocked out Ukraine’s Dmytro Lovchynskyi in the first round, scoring two points in the standing position and one knockdown that forced the referee to call off the fight. His next fight is against tournament favorite and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov. Junior, who has some of the power and presence of a adolescent George Foreman, is a sturdy contender to potentially unseat Jalolov.
Worth watching.
Canada could have a gold medal-winning boxer
Canadian lightweight Wyatt Sanford, with his professional boxing style, high guard and gigantic volume, is a real threat to win gold at the 2024 Olympics. His No. 1 seeding was questioned before the event, but his dominant performance against Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov was a notable early fight of the tournament. Sanford will next face Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev, with the winner likely to earn a medal and potentially advance to the final. The winner of that fight will likely face France’s Oumiha in the bronze medal match.
Disappointments for Ireland and Great Britain
Ireland and Great Britain have suffered early setbacks. Ireland’s hopes rest on lightweight Harrington, who won gold at the 2020 Olympics and looked impressive in her first fight. Irish heavyweight Jack Marley is one step away from a medal in the up-and-coming bracket.
However, notable eliminations include lightweight Dean Clancy and welterweight Aiden Walsh. Irish heavyweight Jack Marley is one step away from a medal in a bracket that is up for grabs.
Britain didn’t fare much better in Olympic boxing. Super heavyweight Delicious Orie, a potential breakout star, lost in the first round to Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan in a controversial first-round decision that many believed Orie deserved. This loss could be beneficial for Orie, as it will give him a compelling story when he moves up to the pro ranks, where he is expected to one day fight Moses Ituama.
Welterweight Lewis Richardson, who has yet to fight, remains a glimmer of hope, but the British prospects are dwindling. Heavyweight Patrick Brown and bantamweight Charley Davison were both eliminated in the first round, as was lightweight Rosie Eccles, who lost to Pole Aneta Rygielska.
Jordan’s surprising performance
Jordan has emerged as an unexpected story, with track and field athlete Obada Al-Kasbeh and welterweight Zeyad Ishaish both pulling off first-round upsets. With middleweight Hussein Ishaish still to fight, Jordan’s boxing program has shown promise at Olympic level, surprising many. Al-Kasbeh was eliminated Monday by three-time French Olympian Oumiha.
Warriors off the radar
Damian Durkacz of Poland lost 5-0 to Bulgarian Rami Mofid Kiwan. Despite his performance Durkacz’s style may be best suited to professionals. As a two-time Olympian, it will be engaging to see if he makes the transition to professional, he has the style of Arthur Abraham.
Despite the loss, Australian lightweight Tyla McDonald showed a solid pro style that could translate to the pros if her promoter gave her a chance. The rounds seemed too miniature for her and she was a bit miniature against her Ecuadorian opponent Maria Jose Palacios, but she got stronger as the fight went on and cut through the ring well.
Cuba’s dominance
Cuba’s Erislandy Alvarez dominated John Ume of Papua Modern Guinea, stopping him in the second round. Alvarez’s performance strengthened his position as the favorite for gold. He easily defeated Jughurta Ait Bekka of Algeria in the round of 16. Alvarez is expected to sail smoothly into the final.
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