USA Boxing faces early challenges despite strong start at Paris 2024

The first weekend of Olympic boxing concluded with many fans either unaware of how to watch it or simply disinterested. With many top fighters receiving byes early in the tournament, here’s what you might have missed in the 2024 Paris Olympics so far.

Seeding Controversies

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 U.S. is the top seed. In the women’s brackets, Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil and Kellie Harrington, clear No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, are placed in the same bracket as No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. This has resulted in uneven matchups, similar to golf’s Open Championship, where favorable draws can significantly impact outcomes. Many fighters are facing gold medal-quality bouts in the opening rounds. For example, USA’s featherweight Jahmal Harvey will face Luiz Oliveira in his first bout, despite Oliveira holding a win over him and both being considered medal favorites.

Upsets

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Julio Cesar La Cruz of Cuba was eliminated in a surprising turn of events, beaten by Loren Alfonso, a Cuban defector now representing Algeria, in a heavyweight opening bout. Alfonso now appears to be a strong medal contender. The 3-2 split decision reflected the uncertainty anyone had over who won.

Australian lightweight fan-favorite Harry Garside was eliminated in the first round by Richard Kovacs of Hungary. Garside’s style seems stuck in limbo between pro and amateur styles. Kovacs, a tricky fighter who throws a lot of power punches while countering, faces French favorite Sofiane Oumiha next.

USA Starts Strong, But Hits A Bump In The Road

Team USA has shown promise early. Women’s lightweight Jajaira Gonzalez dominated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Estelle Mossley of France in the opening round. Gonzalez’s high-guard pressure style wore down Mossley, who was docked a point for holding. Gonzalez’s tough path continued Monday as she faced Ferreira of Brazil. Ferreira edged Gonzalez in a competitive and entertaining bout, a rematch of their 2023 Pan-Am Games semifinal in Santiago, Chile, which Ferreira also won. The fight highlighted Gonzalez’s potential if she opts to turn professional, as it felt more like a title fight than an early round of the Olympics. 

Ferreira, a pro boxer who won silver in the 2020 Olympics and returned for gold, celebrated after the final round as if she had defended her IBF lightweight title. The win puts Ferreira one step closer to a rematch of the 2020 Olympic gold medal match with Ireland’s Harrington.

Flyweight Roscoe Hill also impressed with his unique and awkward style, advancing out of the round of 32. Hill will now face the No. 1 seed from the host country, Bilal Bennama. This could be one of the weirdest fights in the history of the Olympics as both fighters are counter-punchers with unconventional techniques. 

Super heavyweight Joshua Edwards became the first American to lose, as he was ousted by Italy’s Diego Lenzi despite being ranked No. 1 in the division. Edwards lost a point in the second round for keeping his head down, a needless deduction. The bout was underwhelming and close, but Edwards, who needed to win two fights to medal, was out after his first fight. Even without the point deduction, Edwards would have lost, but losing that point shook 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 out 2-0, the U.S. has now seen two Olympic medalist hopefuls eliminated as some of the heavy-hitters hit the stage on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The outcome of these next few days will determine the medal hopes of USA Boxing in 2024. 

Mega-Fight Alert: Could Jalolov Lose?

Australian super heavyweight Teremoana Junior knocked out Dmytro Lovchynskyi of Ukraine in the opening round recording two standing-eighths and one knockdown that forced the referee to call the bout off. His next fight is against the tournament favorite and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov. Junior, who has some of the power and presence of a young George Foreman, is a strong contender to potentially oust Jalolov.

A worthy watch.

Canada Could Have a Gold Medal Boxer

Canadian lightweight Wyatt Sanford, with a pro-ready boxing style, a high guard, and lots of volume, is a real threat to win gold at the 2024 Olympics. His No. 1 seed was questioned entering the competition, but his dominant performance against Radoslav Rosenov of Bulgaria was a notable early fight of the tournament. Sanford will face Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev next, with the winner likely to medal and potentially make the finals. The winner of that fight will likely face France’s Oumiha in a bronze medal match.

Disappointments for Ireland and Great Britain

Ireland and Great Britain faced early setbacks. Ireland’s hopes rest on women’s lightweight Harrington, who won gold in the 2020 Olympics and looked impressive in her first fight. Irish heavyweight Jack Marley is a fight away from medaling in a bracket that is up for grabs.

However, notable eliminations include lightweight Dean Clancy and welterweight Aiden Walsh. Irish heavyweight Jack Marley is a fight away from medaling in a bracket that is up for grabs.

Great Britain hasn’t fared much better in Olympic boxing. Super heavyweight Delicious Orie, a potential breakout star, lost in the opening round to Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan in a controversial decision that many thought Orie deserved to win. This loss might still benefit Orie by giving him a compelling narrative as he transitions to the professional ranks, where he is expected to fight Moses Ituama one day.

Welterweight Lewis Richardson, who has yet to fight, remains a beacon of hope, but prospects are dimming for the Brits. Heavyweight Patrick Brown and women’s bantamweight Charley Davison were eliminated in the first round, along with women’s lightweight Rosie Eccles, who lost to Poland’s Aneta Rygielska.

Jordan’s Surprising Performance

Jordan has emerged as an unexpected storyline. Lightweight Obada Al-Kasbeh and welterweight Zeyad Ishaish both pulled off upsets in the first round. With middleweight Hussein Ishaish still to compete, Jordan’s boxing program is showing promise at the Olympic level, surprising many. Al-Kasbeh was eliminated on Monday by three-time French Olympian Oumiha.

Under-the-Radar Fighters

Poland’s Damian Durkacz lost a 5-0 decision to Bulgaria’s Rami Mofid Kiwan. Despite his performance Durkacz’s style might be best suited for the professional ranks. As a two-time Olympian, it will be interesting to see if he transitions to a professional career, he has an Arthur Abraham come-forward style. 

Despite losing, Australian women’s lightweight Tyla McDonald showed a solid professional style that could translate to the pros if a promoter were to take a chance on her. The rounds seemed too short for her, and she was slightly undersized against Ecuador’s opponent Maria Jose Palacios, but got stronger as the fight went on, and cut the ring off well.

Cuban Dominance

Erislandy Alvarez of Cuba dominated John Ume of Papua New Guinea, stopping him in the second round. Alvarez’s performance reinforced his status as a favorite for gold. He effortlessly cruised by Jughurta Ait Bekka of Algeria in the round of 16. Alvarez is expected to smoothly sail to the finals.