- All the six African boxers but one in action on Monday were eliminated.
Africa’s celebrated boxers, Rady Gramane (pictured) and Pita Kabeji, have joined the casualty list of African boxers who’ve been eliminated in the ongoing final Paris Olympics qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand.
Six African boxers were in the ring on the fourth day of the weeklong event but only one – Ghana’s Ornella Sathoud – won her fight to the disappointment of boxing fans in Africa.
US-based doctor Sathoud beat Monica Langerova of Czech Republic in the middleweight division to move to the last 16 or pre-quarters if you like.
The southpaw Gramane, two-time Africa champion and world championships bronze medallist in 2022, went down 5-0 to Korea’s Asian Games bronze medallist Suyeon Seong. African Games light-heavyweight champion and twice Africa Elite Championships gold medallist Pita Kabeji of DRC was beaten 5-0 by Poland’s 2021 world youth silver medallist Jakub “Kuba” Straszewski.
It’s a painful body blow for Africa as Gramane and Kabeji were among the highly regarded boxers the continent was banking on to make an impression in the Bangkok tournament.
Two Kenyan boxers, light-heavyweight Edwin Okong’o and middleweight Elizabeth Andiego, like their comrades, realised winning at the big stage is a different ballgame altogether than what happens back home.
Ghana’s heavyweight Jonathan Tetteh was at sea. He could not cope up with the refined display of Cuban-born Azerbaijan Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and 2021 world champion in Belgrade Loren Berto who defeated the Ghanaian 5-0 in the heavyweight round of 64.
For the rest of these qualifying events, Boxing fans and officials are holding their breath and praying for a good outcome to boost the morale of the participants as well as Africa’s flagging fortunes in the Far East.
✍🏼 AFBC Communications
