Boxing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Preview

Men’s Flyweight (-52kg)

Uzbekistan dominated the lower weight classes at the 2016 Olympics with gold medals from Hasanboy Dusmatov and Shakhobidin Zoirov (Uzbekistan). Given the removal of a weight class, it was Zoirov, more comfortable with the weight, who will represent the team in 2020. He is the reigning Olympic Champion and also the World Champion, having defeated Amit Panghal (India) in the final. He will be deserved favourite with a 3-0 professional record and also unbeaten in the WSB, having defeated Robeisy Ramirez. His timing and understanding of range make him so tough to hit without having to take a punch. The major mark against him will be the defeat by Thitisan Panmot(Thailand) in the qualification event and often his lack of punch output. Panmot qualified at only 19, having previously been World Youth Champion in 2018. He is a constant flurry of movement with accurate punches and an ability to switch stance. He lost an odd bout in the final of the qualifying tournament when taking a forearm to the neck which caused a stoppage. The man who beat him was Hu Jianguan (China), an Olympic bronze medalist from 2016. He also has a World Championship bronze medal from 2015, when he beat Zoirov on his way to the medal. At the most recent World Championship he was disappointing, losing to Billal Bennama (France). He tends to work behind a busy jab with constant movement and low hands.

Bennama though did prove himself at the World Championships, going on to win a bronze. He will only be 23 when the Olympics starts but the Frenchman has improved over the last few years including wins over Yosbany Veitia (Cuba), Galal Yafai (Great Britain) and Jianguan. He is good on the back foot using his length to avoid punches and counter. The man he beat to guarantee himself a medal was Yafai. Now a two time Olympian having previously competed at Light Flyweight, the Brit arguably had a career best win in that tournament by defeating Veitia. He’s an aggressive southpaw who won the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and has twice medalled in European competitions. Winner of the 2019 European Games was Gabriel Escobar (Spain). He arguably capitalised on the easier half of the draw, but still had to defeat Daniel Asenov (Bulgaria) to take the gold medal. He is the big Spanish hope and will hope that his speed and movement can carry him through. Asenov was seeded to qualify from the European qualification tournament but was upset by Batuhan Ciftci (Turkey). Ciftci won the bout on a split decision after a cut ended it early. He is a long boxer who tries to box at distance but is happy to make it scrappy when someone does get inside. Daniel Asenov would qualify, despite his shock loss to Ciftci. He is a twice European Champion who has alternated wins and losses with most of the other top European fighters.

One of those is Brendan Irvine (Ireland) who has medalled in European tournaments and the Commonwealth Games. Nicknamed the ‘wee rooster’ he likes to work from distance and will often go to the body. He has a loss to another Olympic fighter in Rahab Otuke Mahommed (Botswana) who also has an impressive win over Mohamed Flissi (Algeria). Flissi was an Olympian in 2012 and 2016. He lost to the silver medalist on both occasions, making the quarter finals in 2016. He has also a World Championship silver from 2013 and lost a close split decision to Veitia in the last Championship. He has a long, wiry frame but instead of using his range tends to launch attacks from distance, looking to wing wild hooks. Another European qualifier was Cosmin Girleanu (Romania) after upsetting Rufat Huseynov. He is another southpaw in the draw who stays within a tight guard and looks to work on the inside. Girleanu was a decorated junior, winning the Junior World Championships. Carlo Palaam (Philippines) was also an impressive junior, medalling at the Youth Olympics. He has grown into the division moving up from Light Flyweight but is a short boxer with good movement. He now has three losses to Amit Panghal. The 25 year old is the reigning World Championship silver medalist and you could argue he deserved the win against Zoirov. It was the same story in the recent Asian Championship final. He was not at his most impressive during qualification and arguably has a few lucky decisions on his resume. He is mainly a defensive fighter but is fast and good tactically.

Patrick Chinyemba (Zambia) is one of the Zambian contingent who will probably expect to do better in 2024 given his young age, but his fast feet and hands make him a tough proposition. David De Pina (Cape Verde) gave him a tough bout at the African qualifiers but will probably be outclassed here. Perhaps the biggest surprise from the African qualifiers was Sulemanu Tetteh (Ghana) who had previously lost in the opening round of the 2012 Olympics but not shown much on the world stage since. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he was beaten by Amit Panghal.  Alex Winwood (Australia) was deemed lucky by some to come through the qualifiers and has been beaten comfortably when stepping up including by Gamal Yafai at the World Championships. He is accurate and versatile but will likely be too hittable. Sakhil Alakhverdovi (Georgia) is a fighter who has come up from the 49kg division, where he won a 2019 European Championship silver medal. He will be one of the smaller fighters but is a constant mover, looking to avoid punches and reply with his quick attacks. Koryun Soghomonyan (Armenia) is another European who has moved up from 49kg and was an impressive champion at junior level. Another moving up from the Light Flyweight division in Yuberjen Martinez (Colombia). He won silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and will be dedicated in applying his pressure. He is fast and strong and will be tough for anyone to overcome. Another Olympic medalist competing this year is Yoel Finol (Venezuela). He won the silver medal, despite losing in the semi final, following the disqualification of Misha Aloyan. He beat Flissi and Muhammad Ali to make the final. Like a few of the other competitors he is unbeaten as a professional. He is extremely difficult to hit, with quality evasive movement keeping him out of the way of his opponents attacks.

Ryomei Tanaka (Japan) is the younger brother of pound for pound talent Kosei Tanaka. He was actually the gold medalist at the Rio test event but did not qualify outright. Earlier this year, he was defeated by Rodrigo Marte(Dominican Republic). He is the Pan-American Champion from 2019, having beaten Veitia in the final. He is a classy long fighter, who can work on the front foot with quick punches and has a little bit of swagger. However, he did suffer a big knockout earlier in the year which has to be a worry. Veitia is a World Champion, winning the title in 2017 and has medalled the tournament prior and after. At the previous Olympics he lost to Hu Jianguan in the quarter finals. As with most Cuban fighters he is classy boxer who looks to counter punch, using his low lead and footwork. He is a southpaw and has competed against most of the other big names in the division. One of those is Yankiel Rivera (Puerto Rico) who went down to Veitia at the 2019 Pan-American Games. He is an accurate puncher who like to change the angles but can rely on his head movement a bit too much. The class of the division will likely have too much for him. The other semi finalists in 2019 was Ramon Quiroga (Argentina). He is another who has never really succeeded against the level of fighter that he’d need to in order to compete here. He looks to mainly land combinations off his back foot and looks smaller in the ring compared to many of his opponents. Finally, the other 2019 World Championship medalist is Saken Bibossinov (Kazakhstan) who won bronze. He is another southpaw in the draw who is tall and looks to use his range to throw sharp, accurate punches. Arguably he was lucky to get his spot as, young Kazakh Makhmud Sabyrkhan, beat him earlier in the year.

For me this is the best division at this Olympics. Hardly any of this division can be completely counted out, even some of the lesser fighters have the ability to beat some of the favoured fighters. Adding to that is the feeling that none of the top echelon guys are unbeatable.

Amit Panghal is the number one seed but has arguably got one of the tougher draws. Everyone would have been hoping to avoid Hu Jinguan whilst Finol and Martinez are hardly Jianguan. Despite being unseeded, Shakhobidin Zoirov arguably got the best of it despite not being seeded. He was drawn in the same quarter as Mohamed Flissi, probably the weakest of the four seeds. Irvine is also in that quarter but Zoirov should definitely be the one that emerges. The third quarter is headlined by Yosbany Veitia, who will face a tough run. In his opening bout he will likely take on Rodrigo Marte who has a win over him before likely taking on Galal Yafai, who beat him at the World Championships. He has a dangerous path though having to face Alex Winwood or Patrick Chinyemba, in what could be one of the bouts of the first round. The toughest section is the bottom quarter. Billal Bennama is the seeded boxer but will likely have to get through Saken Bibossinov in his first fight and one of his European rivals in either Daniel Asenov or Gabriel Escobar just to medal. Intriguingly, Asenov actually has a good record against both Escobar and Bennama who he has beaten on multiple occasions. Unfortunately Thitisan Panmot has been forced to withdraw due to injury.

I actually think Jianguan can repeat his success over Panghal from the qualification tournament. In the semi final he would come up against Zoirov who will overcome his toughest foe Flissi in the quarter final. In the semi final I think it will be a cagey affair but Jinguan can get revenge and beat Zoirov to make the final. You could argue it is a good draw for Marte as he has not had to face some of the bigger punchers but given his knockout loss earlier this year, I cannot see him getting through. Instead I could see Yafai edging Veitia with his work rate. In the final quarter I can see a fight fit Bibossinov giving Bennama fits. It may help Bennama that he already has a win over Bibossinov from the Cologne World Cup earlier in the year. It will be a baptism of fire and maybe Asenov is well placed to take advantage. I do think Bennama is good enough at this point to get the win over Asenov but maybe by then the run will catch up to him. Yafai, with his work rate will be a tough opponent and I could see the Brit surprising him. I think class would finally tell in the final as Jianguan would dominate him en route to Chinese gold

🥇Hu Jianguan 🇨🇳

🥈Galal Yafai 🇬🇧

🥉Shakhobidin Zoirov 🇺🇿

🥉Bilal Bennama 🇫🇷

Men’s Featherweight (-57 kg)

Arguably the standout at the 2019 World Championships was Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov (Uzbekistan). Also a champion at the Asian Championships and Asian Games, he overcome the top three seeds consecutively to take gold. He works at a incredibly high pace and is probably at his best in the mid range where he can use his angles, combination punching and power. It was Lázaro Alvarez (Cuba) he beat in the final, taking his second straight World Championship silver after three World Championship golds. Only the most recent and first medals did not come in the lightweight division at 60kg, meaning he has to boil himself down to the 57kg limit. He fights a typical Cuban style, out of the southpaw stance with low hands, relying on incredible reflexes and defence. Many observers believed that he was lucky to make the final, having controversially defeated Peter McGrail (Great Britain). McGrail became a two time bronze medalist, having also got there in 2017. He is a European and Commonwealth Champion but could only win bronze at the 2019 European Games. McGrail is a southpaw with brilliant footwork and accurate punches. Kurt Walker (Ireland) was the man who beat him at the European Games, his second straight win against his British foe after losing the previous two. He looks to attack with long straight punches. Hamsat Shadalov(Germany) defeated Walker in the qualifiers staying out of range and looking to slip punches before countering once in range. He also has a win over Robeisy Ramirez.

Mykola Butsenko (Ukraine) was defeated by Walker in the European Games final. He is another southpaw with fast hands, whose best international result came with a World Championship bronze in 2013. He also has three European Championship bronze medals. The other World Championship bronze medalist from 2013 will also compete, Chatchai Butdee (Thailand). Similarly, he has not manage to impress internationally to the same level since although did win the Asian Games in 2015. He competed at the last Olympics and after beating Qais Ashfaq was arguably unlucky to go down to Vladimir Nikitin who famously went on to be gifted the decision against Michael Conlan. He also fights out of the southpaw stance and uses his veteran know how to make himself tough to beat. He was defeated in the Asian qualifiers by Van Duong Nguyen (Vietnam) who stopped Butdee after dropping him twice in the first round. He became the first Vietnamese boxer to qualify for the Olympics since 1988. He is a swarming power puncher who looks to start fights fast and finish them early. The man who beat him at the qualifier was Mohammad Al-Wadi (Jordan), inspired by his home crowd to reach the final of the Asian qualification tournament and is an elder statesman at 34 who is difficult to keep on top of.

In the African qualifiers it was the case of the young and old. Nick Okoth (Kenya) nicknamed “the commander,” returns after a 12 year exodus from the Games. At the ripe old age of 37, perhaps more likely to scar opposition are two twenty year olds Everisto Mulenga (Zambia) and Samuel Takyi (Ghana).  Mulenga would be the boxer I expect to do better. His fast hands got him to the quarter finals of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at just 18. Takyi will be must watch though with an all-action style including some brilliant hooks. Jose Quiles (Spain) is one of the younger boxers who has missed out on a lot of time over the previous two years due to injuries. Even younger is Danial Shahbakhsh (Iran) having only just turned 21. He is a slick counter punching southpaw who had impressive wins over Mohamed Hamout (Morocco) and Rex Tso in the Olympic qualifiers. He also won silver at the Asian Championships in 2021 at 60kg. Roland Galos (Hungary) was a very good youth boxer and has actually fought both Joe Cordina and Somiane Oumiha to close split decision losses. Mirko Cuello (Argentina) was a Youth Olympic bronze medalist and will be only 20 when the Olympics take place. He is also a southpaw who looks to put combinations together. Mohamed Hamout will compete in his second Olympics, having actually defeated Butsenko before going out to Robeisy Ramirez in 2016. He looks to come forward but often the footwork can be sloppy and he becomes hittable.

Another Olympic veteran is Ceibar Avila (Colombia). He went out in the quarter finals in 2016, arguably unlucky to lose a unanimous decision to Misha Aloyan. He is a southpaw who fights on the front foot. In the 2019 World Championships he went out in round two, losing to Kurt Walker but only after beating Samuel Kistohurry (France). He has gone 3-0 as a professional and hunts for his dangerous left hook. The Frenchman lost in the final of the European qualification tournament to Albert Batyrgaziev (Russia). The 22 year old southpaw has long been regarded a strong prospect and was the boxer of the 2019 Cologne World Cup. He also won the European qualification tournament. He is an accurate power puncher with good head movement. Serik Temirzhanov(Kazakhstan) was the boxer of the 2019 Boksai tournament. He has incredible footwork and dangerous counter punching. It shows the incredible strength of Kazakh boxing where many think he may not have me been the best option, with his making the team ahead of 2017 world champion Kairat Yeraliev. In the final he overcame Duke Ragan (United States). The talented young American will only be 23 when the Olympics happen and is already 4-0 as a professional. He is an awkward boxer with lightning speed and a great jab. However, he did not actually win his place on the American team, losing in the Olympic trials, only for the qualification system to change allowing him back onto the team.

He also had a surprising loss at the Pan-American qualification tournament, going out to Jean Caicedo (Ecuador). The accurate puncher has mainly lost when stepping up to that level of competition but his win over Ragan will give him hope that he can compete here. One of those losses came at the Pan-American Games to Alexis De La Cruz(Dominican Republic). He hardly ever leads, instead looking to draw in his opponent, lean away and then counter from his southpaw stance. Another southpaw is Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar (Mongolia). He was the World Championship bronze medalist in 2019 and lost in the Olympic quarter final to Shakur Stevenson. An unbeaten pro he has a high work rate and digs in brilliant body hooks. His fight from the 2019 World Championship against Mirzakhalilov was a sight to behold. Tayfur Aliyev (Azerbaijan) went out to Peter McGrail in the third round. He puts his combinations together well and has good footwork, with impressive wins over Kistohurry and Hamout. He has long been regarded a good prospect. As has Keevin Allicock (Guyana) who will be the first Guyanese boxer in the Olympics since the turn of the century. He was an impressive youth boxer and is accurate with his combinations although often doesn’t move his head once engaged with an opponent.

Another of the stronger divisions, although there is perhaps less strength in depth at the bottom end of this class.

The top half of this draw is utterly fascinating as the top quarter is incredible tough whilst the second quarter features no big names. Mirzakhalilov is number one seed and will receive a bye before taking on Kurt Walker. To fight him in the quarter final will be between four very good boxers. Galos will take on Temirzhanov and Ragan will fight Kistohurry. This is an incredible tough section and will see people arguing that boxing needs eight seeds. In the second quarter both Takyi and Mulenga receive byes to the second round. Butsenko is a big name but past his best whilst Avila will be hoping to go one further than the last Olympics. Caicedo and Al Wadi round up the section. Lazaro Alvarez is the third seed and will likely make his way through to the quarter final where he will meet up with Peter McGrail, who has a tough route, having to fight Butdee and either Cuello or Shadalov. The bottom section is headlined by Batyrgaziev. In the quarter final he will likely box Tsendbataar as long as he comes through a tough mini section including Aliev and big punching Nguyen.

The opening quarter is a tough one. Mirzakhalilov should make his way through but it is not a nice run. I would not be surprised with any of the four boxers emerging to take him on in the quarter final but he should have too much for them. The second quarter is another landmine but I think Avila can beat Butsenko to get a medal around his neck. The Alvarez v McGrail quarter final in the third quarter is something we should savour if we do get. A repeat of the World Championship semi final, I thought McGrail and his greater work rate won that day, so I have to give him the nod here. Tsendbataar is the man to watch here, with his second round fight almost a guaranteed fun bout before her likely takes on Batyrgaziev. Whilst I would love Tsendbataar to get through, I think the quality of Batyrgaziev would take over and win a decision. It would be a tough bout for him against McGrail as well but I think he can edge the battle of the southpaws, likely going on to meet Mirzakhalilov in the final. There I would once again edge to the improving Russian.

🥇Albert Batyrgaziev 🇷🇺

🥈Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov 🇺🇿

🥉Ceibar Avila 🇨🇴

🥉Peter McGrail 🇬🇧

Men’s Lightweight (-63kg)

Perhaps the standout boxer in the amateur world is Andy Cruz (Cuba). Many people will consider him the pound for pound king but this will be his first Olympic Games. He is the reigning double World Champion. His quick reflexes and smart footwork allow him to keep his hands low, whilst he attacks with variety and a sharp jab. He has barely lost over this Olympic cycle, with only one international loss coming against Sofiane Oumiha (France). He is looking to improve on his silver medal from 2016 in the 60kg division, where his run included a win over Teofimo Lopez. He went on to be World Champion in 2017 and European Champion in 2018. He is tricky defensively, fluid with his combinations and is very experienced in these big tournaments. He will be hard to hit, often looking to leave the exchange with the final punch landed.  He was defeated in the quarter final of the 2019 World Championships by Keyshawn Davis (United States) who went on to earn silver, losing a close decision to Cruz. His qualification is no doubt controversial, having been removed from USA Boxing’s team for Olympic qualifying after violating athlete selection procedures, which disqualified him from Olympic participation. The speedy southpaw had gone 3-0 as a professional before getting his Olympic status confirmed. He’s tactically versatile, able to come forward and pressure opponents but also can use his long arms to control range.

It was Manish Kaushik (India) who he beat in the semi final, the Indian fighter taking a bronze medal. He qualified ahead of compatriot Shiv Thapa having moved up from 60kg. He is a southpaw who will use his speed and counter punching. He could only win a Commonwealth Games silver medal, down at 60kg, losing in the final to Harry Garside (Australia). Another southpaw, he keeps his lead hand low but is always triggering looking to open up opportunities for his attacks. His record against the top level fighters in the division does leave something to be desired. Another Commonwealth Games gold medalist is Jonas Jonas (Namibia). The Namibian flag bearer in Rio, he is a southpaw who throws quick combinations and sharp jabs behind consistent pressure. He upset the qualification number one seed, Abdelhaq Nadir (Morocco) who had won the African Games in 2019. Nadir keeps a high guard but can be caught by good counter punchers as he over extends. Another seed to be upset in qualification was Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia). He has won World Championship bronze medals at the last two tournaments as well as a European Championship. He has been aggressively matched compared to his of his peers in amassing a 2-0 professional record. He fights aggressively but keeps his guard tight and along with his good footwork, he is surprisingly tough to land punches against.

Gabil Mamedov (Russia) beat him in the European qualifiers controversially after a cut was declared to be caused by a head butt. He qualified ahead of compatriot Ilya Popov and will box on the front foot looking to dig in his body punches. He has come up from the 60kg division, where he won European Games silver, behind Dzmitry Asanau(Belarus) who also beat him in the Olympic qualifiers. He has a World Championship bronze from 2015 but went out in the second round of the 2016 Olympics when fighting at 56kg. He is a classy fighter with sharp counters and superb movement. It is not only the Olympics of 2016 that will be represented but also 2012. Wessam Salamana(Refugee Team) boxed in London and will be hoping to improve on his loss in the opening bout. The boxer who was born in Syria, tends to attack with looping combinations as he dips his head to avoid attacks. Richarno Colin(Mauritius) returns to the Olympics having missed out in 2016. He competed in both 2008 and 2012. Both times he won a fight, in 2008 it was an upset over Myke Carvalho. He mixes upper body movement with a low lead which often makes him too easy to hit. Despite it being twelve years since his first Olympic Games, he is not the oldest competitor in this division. Zakir Safiullin (Kazakhstan) is 34, having twice won silver in the Asian Championships. Another who came up from the 60kg division, he mixes defensive prowess with attacking instincts that usually sees him exchange punches with his opponent until one retreats.

Baatarsukhiin Chinzorig (Mongolia) improved on a previous silver and bronze to win gold at the 2021 Asian Championships. He competed at the 2016 Games losing in the round of sixteen to Vitaly Dunaytsev. He is a classy operator who puts his combinations together effectively. The man who beat him and went on to win the Asian qualifying event arguably had the toughest route to qualify for the Games. Elnur Abduraimov (Uzbekistan), the World Championship bronze medalist in 2015 goes into the team ahead of Ikboljon Kholdarov. The southpaw is a constant mover who prefers to be on front foot and throws with power. He went out in the 2019 World Championships to Keyshawn Davis and is an unbeaten professional. Another World Champion competing is Javid Chalabiyev (Azerbaijan), who won at 56kg in 2013. He is an ugly fighter who puts on relentless pressure. A boxer who has come up even further through the weights is Leonel de los Santos (Dominican Republic), fighting at Flyweight where he lost to Yoel Finol. The tricky boxer reached the Pan American Championship final in 2019, winning silver. He keeps his hands low and is a technical rangy boxer. The man he beat in the World Championship last sixteen was Luke McCormack (Great Britain). It was a close split decision, a feeling he has gotten used to over the last few years. Sofiane Oumiha defeated him in the European qualification event and Jonas Junius in the Commonwealth Games, both by split decision.

He will not be the only competitor based in Britain. Alston Ryan (Antigua and Barbuda) boxes out of the famous Repton gym. He is a rangy fighter who looks to use movement to get out the way of punches. John Ume (Papua New Guinea) also represents a small island and has similarly struggled with any major step up in competition. He has significant power and looks to land with hooks and looping punches. Yaroslav Khartsyz (Ukraine) was given the Ukrainian spot over Iurii Shestak. He keeps a high guard and throws nice counter punches, but can be overwhelmed. He lost in the 2019 European Games quarter final to Luke McComrack. Another quarter final loser from that tournament was Damian Durkacz (Poland). The young Polish boxer is a textbook boxer who is a multiple national champion. He puts combinations together well and mixes punches to the head and body. Fiston Mbaya Mulumba (Congo) is a textbook boxer but can sometimes struggle with his balance and lack of offensive output. Leodan Pezo (Peru) won a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games down at 60kg where he lost to Lazaro Alvarez. He can switch stances and tends to fight with aggression.

Daisuke Narimatsu (Japan) is a short but aggressive fighter out of the southpaw stance who upset Otar Eranosyan at the last World Championship and won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games. Bakhodur Usmonov (Tajikstan) was the Asian Champion in 2019. He has already signed with MTK Global and is an unbeaten professional. He mixes educated pressure with combination punching and head movement. The silver medal winner in that tournament was Obada Al-Kasbeh (Jordan) adding to a bronze that he won five years earlier. He looks to be aggressive, pressuring his opponent to get on the inside where he works cleverly with hooks. Another continental medalist in 2019 was Enrico LaCruz (Netherlands). The Dutchman has long limbs but struggles to use them to control range and often gives his opponent an easy target. He fought at the Rio Olympics losing in the round of 16 and has only managed to get to the second round of the World Championships on his last two attempts. Performing better at the 2019 World Championship was Wanderson Oliveira (Brazil) who reached the quarter final. Nicknamed sugar, the Brazilian keeps his hands low and looks to fire quick, powerful punches but often fails to follow up with combinations. He is in good form having impressed at the Cologne World Cup.

Arguably the division with the strongest set of upper echelon talent. Many would point to the big four of Backhov, Cruz, Davis and Oumiha as some of the best boxers in the game. They all can be upset though, especially as some of the next level fighters are especially dangerous.

Oumiha is the number one seed but has the worst possible draw, getting Keyshawn Davis. Davis does have to overcome LaCruz which is a tough draw but he will have enough. Mamedov is in the other section of this quarter. Abduraimov is the fourth seed but his section also features Backhov, Usmonov, Chinzorig and De Los Santos. Andy Cruz presides over a tough section, where he will take on the winner of McCormack - Kaushik in his opening bout. Assuming he comes through that he will take on Asanau, another superb talent just to make the medal bouts. The other section sees Jonas as the seed. He will likely face Harry Garside the following round whilst Narimatsu and Safiullin are in that quarter.

Oumiha - Davis is likely to be the bout of the second round before a tough bout against Mamedov in the quarter final. Davis is a superstar but I wonder if the transition to the professional ranks will just blunt his tools slightly. If so, I expect Oumiha will take advantage. I could see Chinzorig causing an upset with his class allowing him to beat Abduraimov, who he already has a victory over this year. Usmonov is another dangerous fighter but his dalliance with the professional ranks will likely harm him amongst this level of competition. I think Backhov should have too much to beat Chinzorig although Chinzorig will probably land the better punches so a judge could see it his way. The bottom section is relatively open and I could see Narimatsu, buoyed by being in his home country, making his way through the rounds beating Safiullin and Garside to reach the semi finals. He would come up against Andy Cruz, who despite an incredible tough draw should make his way through. The semi will provide good respite for him before he continues his dominance over Oumiha in the final.

🥇Andy Cruz 🇨🇺

🥈Sofiane Oumiha 🇫🇷

🥉Hovhannes Backhov 🇦🇲

🥉Daisuke Narimatsu 🇯🇵

Men’s Welterweight (-69kg)

The most decorated man in this division is Roniel Iglesias (Cuba). He was the Olympic champion in 2012, won bronze in 2008 and was knocked out in the 2016 Quarter Final. He was a World Champion in 2009 and only recently added to his tally with a silver in 2017. The southpaw is getting on at 32, but still has fast hands. He knows how to get through these tournaments and his experience will no doubt win him bouts that others would lose. He is one of four fighters who fought in the 2012 Games as well as appearing here. Vikas Krishan (India) lost in the round of the sixteen to Errol Spence before going one better and making the quarter final in 2016 losing to Bektemir Melikuziev. He has numerous medals in Asian competitions over the years, won Commonwealth gold in 2018 and has a World Championship bronze from 2011. Signed with Top Rank, he has a 2-0 professional record. He fights as a southpaw where he can mix his punches up very well with great accuracy. Gabriel Maestre (Venezuela) was there in both 2012 and 2015 making the quarter final on both occasions where he lost to the men who went on to win gold medals. Another who has turned professional and is ranked very highly with the WBA given his 3-0 record which includes a good win over Diego Chaves. He is strong and carries power, especially with his looping shots. However, he often fights at a slow tempo, something that his foray into the paid ranks will not help. The other is Andrey Zamkovoy(Russia) who won an Olympic bronze in 2012 but was upset in 2016 by Rayton Okwiri. He is the current World Champion, a tricky southpaw with superb timing, who overcame Pat McCormack (Great Britain) to win the title.

McCormack is another Commonwealth champion who also won the European Games in 2019. He is a dangerous puncher, mainly because of his good timing and sharp punches. He has a brilliant one-two which he uses in many ways as a tactically versatile boxer. He fought in the 2016 Olympics, going out in the round of sixteen to Yasniel Toledo. The following round Toledo was defeated by Lorenzo Sotomayor (Azerbaijan). The former Cuban boxer went on to win silver in 2016. He is another former winner of the European Games, but this may well be his final chance at 36. That may explain some losses to lower levels of competition over the last few years. He is a classy boxer with lanky arms. Perhaps the man with the most pressure entering this competition will be Ablaikhan Zhussupov (Kazakhstan) who lost to McCormack in 2016. The pressure will come as the last four gold medals winners in this division have been from Kazakhstan. He is not without a chance, Zhussupov is a double World Championship bronze medalist. He boxes at range, mainly looking to counter punch where he is efficient, hardly wasting a punch. He won silvers at the 2017 and 2021 Asian Championships, losing to Bobo-Usman Baturov(Uzbekistan) in 2021. He was another bronze medal at the 2019 World Championship. He is a switch hitter but mainly fights in southpaw. He looks to work the body, working at a high pace, looking to get on the inside and make things dirty.

As well as the experienced boxers, this division also has some young prospects who may fare better in Paris 2024. Stephen Zimba (Zambia) qualified at just 19 years old. He is a come forward boxer who works the body well. He does pick shots impressively but can be a bit wild. The power is real though, he stopped favourite Merven Clair(Mauritius) in the African qualifying event. He is another competitor who boxed in the 2016 Olympics, but was defeated in round one. Out of the southpaw stance, he has quick hands and is always bouncing on his toes, looking to move in and out of range. Aliaksandr Radzionau (Belarus) is another young contender and will turn 20 just before the Olympics. Radzionau mainly likes to work on the inside, so will launch aggressive attacks on his way in. He made the final of the Strandja 2020 tournament. In the box-off at the European qualifiers it was Necat Ekinci (Turkey) he beat. He is a tricky southpaw, with good movement and speed. Another European boxer to qualify was Aidan Walsh (Ireland). He was a Commonwealth Games silver medalist in 2018, one of three defeats handed to him by Pat McCormack. He uses his height and length, is equally adept in either stance and has fast hands. He was gold medalist at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Even more successful as a youth boxer was Delante Johnson (United States) winning the youth World Championships in 2016. He will turn 23 just after the Olympics finish and ‘Tiger’ is a speedy boxer-puncher who has a good control of distance and some think could be the best American prospect. Another of the impressive young boxers is Eskerkhan Madiev (Georgia). The Georgian is the European under-22 champion. He is a textbook boxer who picks his punches very well and hits with some power. Albert Mengue (Cameroon) turned 22 at the start of the year. He also boxes on the front foot, looking to land his massive right hand which he throws with big power. He beat Shadri Bwogi (Uganda) in the African qualification event. He’s another southpaw who hits hard with wild attacks that can see him fall in. At the Commonwealth Games in 2018 he defeated Merven Clair before going out to Pat McCormack. Another man that Mengue beat in the qualification event was Thabiso Dlamini (Eswatini). He will be the first boxer since 2000 to compete for Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, but has always struggled when stepping up in class as also seen by a 2014 Commonwealth Games defeat by Zack Davies.

Sewonrets Okazawa (Japan) will be supported by his home crowd and is arguably one of their stronger chances. He is a flashy combination puncher with fast feet and hands who works a high pace. He won 2019 Asian championship silver, defeating Zeyad Eashash (Jordan). He is another relentless boxer who picks punches well. He has split results with Boturov. Rohan Polanco (Dominican Republic) has also split results with some of the elite of the division. Another young boxer, he has three disputed losses with Iglesias but has a big win over Maestre. He has already turned over and is already 4-0 as a professional. He relies on upper body movement, his lead hand mainly kept low and using his speed to get to his opponents. Wyatt Sandford (Canada) has mostly lost when stepping up the quality of opponent but the 22-year-old southpaw did make the last 16 of the World Championships. Marion Faustino Ah Tong (Samoa) is nicknamed Matrix. He’s a natural orthodox that operates out of the southpaw stance. His lack of speed may cause his issues against the better boxers.

This is an intriguing divisions but depending on how you feel about the best fighters, arguably lacks the superstars that some of the other divisions do. If there is a superstar, it is Pat McCormack.

He is the number one seed and has a relatively easy section. His toughest opponent will come in the quarter final as he takes on either Polanco or Baturov. The second quarter is arguably the weakest with Eashash as the seeded boxer. He will box either Sanford or Clair in the second round and in the quarter finals will probably come against Aiden Walsh, who has a peach of a draw with a bye before a second round tie likely coming against Albert Mengue. Iglesias headlines the second section where he will come up against either Krishnan or Okazawa in the second round. In the quarter final it will either be Johnson or Zhussupov. Zamkovoy also has a good draw where his toughest bout will likely come against the winner of Sotomayor - Madiev in round one. Maestre is another boxer who withdrew from the tournament.

You can see the relative weakness of the division by the draw. Both McCormack and Zamkovoy look to have relatively straightforward paths to the semi finals. Baturov is always an awkward, tough bout but McCormack is too classy for him. Aiden Walsh is another that will now expect to make those semis. The third quarter is the tough one. Iglesias is past his best and seems prime for an upset. Although Krishan is a good boxer, perhaps Okazawa would be more likely to upset both given his speed. Zhussupov will box whoever gets through that little section presuming he can beat Johnson. I think he can take this section and put himself into the semi final. He will come up against Zamkovoy, who he has previously lost to before, but I do believe he can turn the tables here. He will come up against McCormack who has shown on many occasions he has the better of Aidan Walsh. McCormack will be a step too far for Zhussupov though and the Brit will take gold.

🥇Pat McCormack 🇬🇧

🥈Ablaikhan Zhussupov 🇰🇿

🥉Aiden Walsh 🇮🇪

🥉Andrey Zamkovoy 🇷🇺

Men’s Middleweight (-75kg)

Yuito Moriwaki (Japan) is another boxer who will be looking for a boost by the home town crowd. He did win the test even in Tokyo and has an impressive win over Trey Isley (United States). He works really well on the inside, with some describing it as a pro style as he looks to punish opponents. Isley is another American boxer who did actually did not qualify through the American qualification event. Previous results put him in a strong position when the rankings were used to determine qualifiers. He was a bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championship and also won bronze at the 2019 Pan-American Games. Nicknamed the ‘transformer,’ he was 2-0 as a professional fighting under the Top Rank banner. The man who beat him and went on to win the 2017 World Championship was Oleksandr Khyzhniak (Ukraine). He is the reigning European champion and has not lost since 2016. An absolute relentless fighter, he mixes power with brilliant footwork. He missed the last World Championships due to the political tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Taking advantage of his absence was Gleb Backshi (Russia). The powerful Russian cruised through the field to take gold. He is a switch hitter who works well to the body.  The most recent clash between the pair came at the European qualification event where Khyzhniak dominated en route to a decision victory.

The man Backshi defeated in the final arguably got more press than him. Eumir Marcial (Philippines) became a bit of a sensation, the southpaw was a good mover with a great deal of speed and power. He throws a strong 1-2 but can often not return his hands to guard, which saw Backshi score a crucial knock down in the final. He has already had his professional debut under the watchful eye of Freddie Roach. Remind you of anyone? The best professional record in this field is Wilfried Ntsengue (Cameroon). The 23-year-old is 9-0 as a professional, having not fought anyone with a losing record. He won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and fought in the 2016 Olympics where he was a flag bearer. He fights with a low lead but has a strong jab which his athletic frame can pump out. He may well struggle with the lack of rest between fights and short bouts. Darrelle Valsaint Jr (Haiti) is another professional, based in Florida, with a 2-0 record. Nicknamed the blast, he is a powerful southpaw but will be only 19 when the Olympics happen and has barely any senior international experience. Another professional is Arman Darchinyan (Armenia) who is 1-0. He has a relentless gas tank, looking to work on the inside, hardly ever taking a backwards step. He mixes his punches up to the head and body but his defence mainly relies on having a high guard. Francisco Veron (Argentina) is a 22-year-old who has gone 3-0. He has shown a lot of power as a professional but not in the amateur ranks. He too often throws just a single shot though and the low lead often leads him able to be countered.

One of the expected threats was going to be from Uzbekistan. Many believed it would be Israil Madrimov or Saidjamshid Jafarov with either being a serious challenger for gold. Instead it will be Fanat Kakhramonov (Uzbekistan). The southpaw is not considered the same level of threat. Most of his attacks come from his lead hand, mixing up jabs with loopier shots. However, defensively he can be lax and is probably too hittable. At the World Championships, he lost in the third round to Hebert Conceicao (Brazil). He is a switch hitter but tends to mainly operate in orthodox. He keeps the lead hand low, looking to draw opponents in and countering effectively with his speedy hands. Only 23, he went on to win World Championship bronze. That same year he won Pan American Games silver. At the other end of the age spectrum, Aaron Prince (Trinidad and Tobago) finally made his first Olympics at 35, becoming only the fourth boxer from the Caribbean island to ever qualify. He is a powerful puncher but his lack of speed in his lateral movement may see him struggle to evade opponents. There is another boxer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Eldric Sella Rodriguez (Refugee Team) has left Venezuela amid ongoing poverty and shortages. He keeps his lead hand low and looks to attack with speed. Another 35-year-old that will compete is Vitali Bandarenka(Belarus). He has mainly lost whenever he has stepped up but is at his best when he can get his punch off first. He mainly operates with a tight guard but when he is throwing combinations, he can move his head.

The one notable opponent he has a win over is Ashish Kumar (India). He was the silver medalist at the 2019 Asian Championships. Tall and rangy, he prefers to be the aggressor in fights but is adaptable, often keeping his hands low. He was upset at the 2019 World Championship by Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan (China). Another tall fighter he likes to lead, looking to land his big right hand but often remains hittable as he does not get his head off the centre line. Tanglatihan lost in the next round to Shahin Mousavi (Iran). He has won bronze at the last two Asian Championships and his style will make him a tough fight for anyone. He looks to hit and hug his opponent, shutting off any opportunities for them to work. Given the quick nature of the tournaments, it also brings into play the possibility of a head clash. One of the more dangerous boxers in the weight class is Abilkhan Amankul (Kazakhstan). He was the World Championship silver medalist in 2017 and has a litany of medals in Asian tournaments, however no gold. He missed the 2019 World Championships through injury and was ably backed up by Tursynbay Kulakhmet who won bronze. Amankul is a southpaw that has always been highly touted giving he was a brilliant youth boxer. He is a stalking boxer looking to stay on the edge of range where he can pick shots. He is willing to get in a war and has the strength to make opponents pay for that.

Andrej Csemez (Slovakia) was another good youth boxer, losing in the semi final of the 2016 European Youth Championship. He also lost in the semi final of the 2019 European Games to take bronze. He moves impressively with fast feet and picks his punches well. He has recovered from a serious car accident which saw him break two vertebrae. Younes Nemouchi (Algeria) was not supposed to be the competitor, but a last minute illness allowed him to take his place in qualifying where he went through. He is a boxer who lives on the back foot. In the qualification tournament he lost to David Tshama (Congo). He likes to come forward, looking to get to mid range and fire off combinations. He works at a serious pace that could trouble some boxers. The final African qualifier is David Ssemujju (Uganda). He won silver at the African Games in 2019 but has lost most of his bigger fights. Euri Cedeno(Dominican Republic) is another contender but has often run into Arlen Lopez during competitions, losing to him three times. The long limbed southpaw has brilliant head movement. Giorgi Kharabadze (Georgia) was the runner up of the 2018 under-22 European Championships. Only 5’9, he lost to Darchinyan in the European qualifier but was probably unfortunate to not get the decision. He is very hittable but works a high tempo, switching from head to body. He beat Adam Charloi (Sweden). The southpaw is pretty out of depth here although he did beat Trey Isley a few years ago.

The depth just is not here. It feels like a larger number of boxers in this division would struggle to win a medal. At the top end though it is intriguing, although arguably only once you get past Khyzhniak who many would point to as a talent far beyond anyone else in the division.

Khyzhniak may be the most dominant boxer in Tokyo. He does not have an especially tough path though with Moriwaki and Veron arguably the standouts in his quarter. The second quarter is headlined by Eumir Marcial. His run to the quarter final is largely easy but there he will likely come up against Darchinyan or Csemez. Herber Conceicao is the seeded fighter in the third quarter but has got to progress to the semi finals he will have to beat Amankul, who many considered the toughest possible draw. Kakhramonov and Kumar are also in that quarter and are arguably considered a dark horse but the draw will likely make that tough. Backshi got the other draw that everyone wanted to avoid in Troy Isley. Assuming he gets past his opening bout they clash in round two. Ntsengue is also in that quarter and will consider his route through to the quarter final to be favourable.

Khyzhniak surely just wins. Maybe the draw could have been his biggest obstacle if he round himself having to negotiate four tough foes. Instead he overwhelm Morikawa and Veron to make the semi finals. Marcial should reach the quarter finals where I think who will face Csemez who has the class to dispose of Darchinyan. Marcial is a bit too tasty at this point in their careers but it would not shock me if Csemez does pull the upset. The third quarter surely goes the way of Amankul. It may be tough but he should overcome both Kakhramanov and either Conceicao or Kumar. I think Backshi - Isley could be one of the best ties in the second round. I did not expect to predict Isley to do well but I think he gives Backshi all he can handle but the Russian probably goes through. Ntsengue is another danger but Backshi should have too much. The battles he would have to emerge from probably mean that Amankul overcomes a weakened foe. I do not see hun beating Khyzhniak but he’d be the one with the best chance.

🥇Oleksandr Khyzhniak 🇺🇦

🥈Abilkhan Amankul 🇰🇿

🥉Eumir Marcial 🇵🇭

🥉Gleb Backshi 🇷🇺

Men’s Light Heavyweight (-81kg)

The light heavyweight division has changed shape since the last Olympics where it was arguably one of the strongest. Gone are Joe Ward, Carlos Mina, Joshua Buatsi, Elshod Rasulov, Adilbek Niyazymbetov and Julio Cesar La Cruz. It is the absence of the Cuban that is most notable here. Between 2011 and 2017 he won four straight world titles in the division. After losing in the 2019 semi final he has moved up a division. Replacing him will be Arlen Lopez (Cuba). He was the Olympic champion at Middleweight in 2016, putting on a supreme performance. Since then he has not reached the same level. He medalled at neither of the last two World Championships, going down to Amankul and Backshi, precipitating a move up in weight. He has not competed internationally at Light Heavyweight but at his best he is a serious danger.  His punch variety is excellent and he is comfortable in either stance throwing precise punches from all angles with good power at Middleweight. The man who ended the reign of his compatriot in 2019 is Bekzad Nurdauletov (Kazakhstan). He beat Julio Cesar La Cruz in the semi final, dropping him in the second and went on to become World Champion. He is a southpaw who times his punches well, landing a solid one-two from his southpaw stance. He won the Governors Cup earlier this year but has been defeated twice by boxers who will not compete in Tokyo.

Another veteran who has moved up from the middleweight division is Jorgé Vivas (Colombia). The 33-year-old is short for the division but previously won silver at the 2015 Pan-American Games. He is confident defensively, often keeping his hands low and swings his punches with serious power. In a young division, Emmett Brennan (Ireland) is another boxer over 30. He performed well to qualify but has lost to most of the top boxers he has fought in international competition. He mainly prefers to fight in a phone booth, looking to land big hooks. He had to win a box-off after losing to Luka Plantic (Croatia). The 2014 European Youth Champion and 2017 European Championship bronze medalist has already had his first professional win. He is an effective worker to the body who uses his size and strength to overwhelm opponents. The reigning European champion is Loren Alfonso(Azerbaijan). He is another boxer of Cuban descent who represents Azerbaijan. He made the 2019 World Championship quarter final as the number two seed. He had almost two years off following the 2019 World Championship, returning to a stoppage defeat by Nadir Unal. Unal is the number two Turkish boxer and it will be Bayram Malkan (Turkey) representing in Tokyo. He reached both the quarterfinals at the 2019 European Games and World Championships. Only 21, he prefers to be on the back foot, looking to counter punch.

Another country with more than one good option is Russia. Georgy Kushitashvili was the clubhouse leader, representing Russia in the 2019 World Championships but following an arrest for possession of drugs and assault of an officer, the spot instead went to Iman Khataev (Russia). He is another big and strong boxer who uses his physicality to his advantage. He uses educated pressure and lands powerful punches. At the European qualifiers he was defeated by Alfonso. Abdelrahman Salah (Egypt) is one of the top African contenders. He won at the 2019 African Games and the Olympics qualifiers. He lost in the World Championship round of sixteen. He fights in a crouched stance and often leaps in, looking for big hooks. He competed in 2016 where he lost to Hrvoje Sep in the first round. The other competitor with links to a previous Olympics is Shakul Samed (Ghana). He had two brothers who competed in the 2008 Olympics. Neither progressed past the round of sixteen so he will be looking to improve on that. He is willing to take a punch to give one and his lack of movement means he will stand in the middle of the ring and engage. He is short for the weight but can put his combinations together nicely. The Asian champion and arguably the favourite is Dilshodbek Ruzmetov (Uzbekistan). The Southpaw also won the Strandja tournament this year. He’s the World Champion silver medalist and the 22-year-old’s best combination is his straight left, right hook which he times really well. He had to rely on the rankings to qualify though as he was knocked out in the Asian qualification tournament.

The man who beat him was Paulo Aokuso (Australia). Another young fighter at 23, he is new to the international boxing scene. He is very hard to pin down, an evasive southpaw, who is has quick movement both from his feet and head. He has the full repertoire of punches and you can tell that he is inspired by Roy Jones Jr. Another upset came in that qualification as Chen Daxiang (China) defeated Adylbek Uulu. He was the busier boxer in that matchup. He is a tall fighter who times his punches well. Keno Machado (Brazil) is another young contender at only 21 who may be ready to really compete. He is tall with long arms, although he often keeps his lead hand low. He won the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and won the Tammer tournament the following year. He also won silver at the 2019 Pan-American Games where he beat Rogelio Romero (Mexico). The Mexican is 6’3 but has mainly lost when stepping up in competition, most notably in five defeats to Julio Cesar La Cruz. He boxes in a southpaw stance and likes to step in behind his long punches. The other bronze medal at the Pan-American Games was won by Nalek Korbaj(Venezuela). He is 5’8 and has gone unbeaten as a professional. He is short and stout, looking to put pressure on his opponents and he can land with power. He tries to duck under opponents punches and has good head movement on the way in.

Another of the taller boxers is Ben Whittaker (Great Britain). He was the EU Champion in 2018 and won bronze in the 2019 World Championship. He is a slick fighter with great footwork and defensive instincts who punches with power.

Arguably the most powerful puncher in the division is Gazimagomed Jalidov (Spain). Born in Dagestan, he moved to Spain at ten. One of his big stoppage wins came against Odai Al-Hindawi (Jordan). He won silver at the 2014 Asian Games but tends to struggle with a step up despite his experience. He is a rugged, smart fighter. Shabbos Negmatulloev (Tajikstan) won bronze at the 2021 Asian Championships. He is an intelligent fighter who prefers to throw hooks. He made the quarter final of the 2017 World Championship. Another aggressor is Mohamed Assaghir(Morocco), but he is not fast on his feet. He upset the number three seed Peter Pita in the African qualifiers, before losing a decision to Mohammed Houmri (Algeria) who is another tough but hittable boxer who won the bronze medal in the 2019 African Games.

Arguably one of the more intriguing divisions. A lot of the intrigue comes from a number of young boxers who could improve at any rate. Throwing in Arlen Lopez only makes this more exciting but a lot of the other older boxers in the division may just be making up the numbers.

Nurdauletov is the number one seed but it is not an easy run by any means. Khataev, one of the bigger punchers in the draw will be his first opponent. After that it will be Jalidov or Aokuso. Salah is the seeded boxer in the next section which makes it open for upsets. Ben Whittaker should get past Vivas and Salah pitting him against one of Machado, Daxiang or Negmatulloev. He will need to be at his best given he looked poor at the European qualification tournament. The third quarter should come down to Plantic or Lopez. Al Hindawi is probably the only other man in the quarter who could play a part. In the bottom quarter, it’s Loren Alfonso who is seeded. Unfortunately he got the one man they want to avoid in Ruzmetov. They will fight in the second round assuming he defeats Emmett Brennan.

Aokuso is my favourite boxer in the draw and I think he has a good chance here. He should be too quick for Jalidov and if he has the fitness against Nurdauletov he can cause him trouble. I’m just not sure he is there yet and it was arguably the worst possible draw he could have got. Even Khataev is dangerous for Nurdauletov and it would not surprise me if he does not win a medal. I am going for Aokuso but this is one of four, all with decent chances. Whittaker should be favourite to come through his quarter with the pressure of Negmatulloev getting him through to that bout against Whittaker. In the third quarter Lopez would dominate this type of contest at his best but he has not been there for a while. I just cannot pick against Lopez in good conscience against Plantic. Ruzmetov - Alfonso is a brilliant bout and I actually think whoever wins should be considered favourite for the whole tournament. Lopez is there to be beaten whilst if I consider it to be Whittaker and an upset fighter in the first quarter, then either of these seem good enough to beat both of those. I think Ruzmetov but I could be persuaded with a number in this division.

🥇Dilshobek Ruzmetov 🇺🇿

🥈Ben Whittaker 🇬🇧

🥉Paulo Aokuso 🇦🇺

🥉Arlen Lopez 🇨🇺

Men’s Heavyweight (-91kg)

The aforementioned Julio Cesar La Cruz (Cuba) is the biggest name here. Arguably the boxer of the last decade, he has moved up from Light Heavyweight where he was the Olympic Champion in 2016. Nicknamed ‘the shadow’ he has long been defined by incredible movement and defensive reflexes however he has been caught over the last few years. This will also be his first international tournament at the new weight division. Many will consider that there should be two Olympic champions in the field. In a tournament that contained Conlan v Nikitin and Yoka v Joyce many considered Vassilly Levit (Kazakhstan) to be the fighter who received the worst decision. He won a silver medal following his defeat by Evgeny Tishchenko. Since then he has won two World Championship bronze medals. The distinctive bald pressure fighter relies on head movement and a good left hook. Hussain Eashash (Jordan) actually lost to Tony Yoka in the quarter final in Rio after defeating Mihai Nistor, famed for his victory over Anthony Joshua. He comes forward with his hands held high looking to throw his combinations. He won bronze medals in three consecutive Asian Championships. He did not compete in 2021 and instead Sanjar Tursunov (Uzbekistan) took bronze. He is a short and squat boxer who prefers to be on the front foot. He is a good mover with an excellent jab and has already started his professional career, going 3-0 based in America.

Another who has debuted professionally is David Nyika (New Zealand). He won his debut by controversial stoppage. He won the Commonwealth Games in both 2014 and 2018. At 6’4 he tends to work at range looking to land punches on the back foot. He is evasive but mainly throws single shots. He went out to the eventual winner of the World Championship in 2019. Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) was the winner and also won the European Championship that year. Somehow he used to make light heavyweight at 6’4 but he uses that range well and throws punches from awkward angles. He has no losses against anyone who will compete in this tournament. In the European qualification final he overcame Emmanuel Reyes (Spain). Born in Cuba he won the Boxam Tournament earlier in the year. Another large fighter he, uses his quick feet to get in and out of range and quick hands allowing him to get his combinations of. He upset Radoslav Pantaleev in the European qualification tournament. Another boxer who was upset was Uladzislau Smiahlikau (Belarus). He won silver at the 2019 European Games and impressively defeated Tursunov earlier in the year. He is one of the few men to have the physique to match up with Gadzhimagemodov. He is a lot more untidy though especially with his footwork whilst he mainly relies on straight shots.

The man who beat him was Ammar Abduljabbar (Germany). The small, compact boxer continuously comes forward looking to pressure opponents. His work can get sloppy as the bout progresses, his stamina not matching his aggression, although the strong pace may well have his opponents in trouble first. In the World Championships he went out to Eashash in the third round. He has scored an upset in the previous round by defeating Abdelhafid Benchabla (Algeria) who will compete in his fourth Olympics. Turning 35 later this year, he has made the quarter final on every occasion but never gone on to medal. He is a mover who looks to get his accurate jab off. He won his third African Games in 2019, beating Youness Baalla (Morocco) to take gold. He is quite fast but is not particularly active. He mainly loses when stepping up to the top level. Fellow African boxer Elly Ajowi Ochola (Kenya) has similarly lost most of his big fights. At 38, this may well be his final chance. He has a Commonwealth Games silver medal from 2010 and has won bronze at the two previous African Games. Only 5’9 he will be shorter than almost all of his opponents. He also has a high work rate but can be too hittable. His best weapon is a looping right hand which often follows a jab, merely used as a range finder. Another Commonwealth Games silver medalist is Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali (Samoa). The 22 year old based in Sydney has also moved up from Light Heavyweight. He is a southpaw with fast hands and accurate shots but he can fall in with his feet and neglect defence.

Cheavon Clarke (Great Britain) won bronze in the Heavyweight Commonwealth Games, losing to David Nyika. He has twice reached the World Championship quarter finals and also has two European medals. He also won the Gee Bee Tournament in 2019. He is an athletic fighter with good speed and power who looks to work in flurries. The silver medalist at the 2019 World Championship was Julio Castillo (Ecuador). He has also two silver medals in the Pan-American Games. Castillo last fought internationally in 2019. The southpaw has twice fought in the Olympics, losing his first bout on both occasions. He is defensively responsible with good hand speed and also impressive head movement. To win the Pan-American silver in 2019, he beat Jose Lucar (Peru). He looks to come forward putting pressure on his opponents but his feet often do not move quickly enough. The other bronze medal winner was Abner Teixeira (Brazil). He lost to Tursunov in the World Championships. Another southpaw he keeps his hands beneath his chin but is constantly triggering looking for openings.

This is a high class field and probably the best of the higher weight classes. How many of these would be a really surprise if they put a couple of results together to get a medal? Not many.

Gadzhimagomedov is the number one seed and favourite. He will not have too many complaints about his draw. His second round opponent will be either Benchabla or Tursunov. In the quarter final they will likely come up Abduljabbar. Nyika is the fourth seed and has a nice draw. Everyone in his quarter receives bye to the second round meaning they only need two wins to make the semi finals. Smiahlikau is the obvious danger to Nyika. Castillo is arguably the weakest seed and has a tough route, he will take on Eashash before the winner of Clarke-Teixeira. The bottom section is clearly the toughest, having three boxers who many would expect to medal. Levit is the seed but will open against Emmanuel Reyes and probably going on to fight La Cruz.

The draw has opened up for Gadzhimagomedov and I did not expect to tip him to win until seeing the draw. He will not have things go entirely his own way against Abduljabbar but should be good enough to beat him. Nyika should be able to make the most of his advantage in footwork to take the second quarter over Smiahlikau. Cheavon Clarke has got a plum draw here and I make him favourite over Castillo to take that section. Down the bottom I think Reyes can upset Levit in the opening round and will go on to give former compatriot Julio Cesar La Cruz a real scare, but his experience will tell. That will be one of the most intriguing contests of the tournament if it happens and I really make it close to even. Clarke will lose to whichever fighter makes it to the semi final. Gadzhimagomedov can make trouble for himself against Nyika and La Cruz if he drifts into a slow chess match without much action. Then the one off speed of the aforementioned could be enough to spring a shock. However, giving his relatively easy path, I cannot pick against him here.

🥇Muslim Gadzhimagomedov 🇷🇺

🥈Julio Cesar La Cruz 🇨🇺

🥉David Nyika 🇳🇿

🥉Cheavon Clarke 🇬🇧

Men’s Super Heavyweight (+91kg)

The standout name in the division is Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbekistan). He is the reigning world champion, improving on his bronze from 2015. Also the triple reigning Asian Champion, he has gone 6-0 as a professional. He is an awkward opponent, a 6’7 strong southpaw. He has quick hands and good footwork. At the World Championships in 2019, he was the best boxer in the tournament. It went viral when he stopped Richard Torres Jr (United States) viciously as people questioned professionals boxing in amateur tournaments. Torres is 6’2 and has explosive power himself, pressing forward on his opponents. The other boxer who also competed in 2016 is Chouaib Bouloudinat (Algeria), losing to Peralta. He is a short fighter, awkward to compete against as he ducks low to start combinations. At the African Games he went out in the opening round, losing to Yousry Hafez (Egypt). He uses his size and is patient on the outside, but happy to exchange with the opponent. The 6’4 heavyweight was the number one seed at the African qualifiers but disappointed, losing in his opening bout to Maxime Yegnong (Cameroon) who went on to win the tournament. He went on to win the tournament with his non stop aggression and solid jab.

The European tournament also saw the seeds disappoint as the top three all went out in the round of sixteen. The victor was Mourad Aliev (France) adding to his 2019 European silver medal. Born in Moscow, he is mainly a counter puncher relying on his speed and accuracy but at 6’7 is a strong individual. He is not the only boxer from Russia who will compete for other countries. Danis Latypov (Bahrain) has had over 300 fights and already gone 1-0 as a professional. He is an awkward fighter with good head movement. The actual Russian representative who will compete in the tournament is Ivan Veriasov (Russia). He is another southpaw who stands at 6’4 and upset Hovhannisyan in the qualifiers. He is patient on the outside and throws a lovely looping left hand. The man Aliev beat in the final was Fraser Clarke (Great Britain) who also has a European silver medal. He has been on the British teams for years and will be the captain at Tokyo. A smart boxer, he boxes with a pace that belies his sheer size. He is also the Commonwealth Games gold medalist from 2018. The man he defeated to take gold was Satish Kumar(India). He is a southpaw with strong combinations who has also medalled at the Asian Championships. The Asian who would be a serial gold medal winner if not for Jalolov is Kamshybek Kunkabayev (Kazakhstan). He is the double reigning World Championship silver medalist and the same in the Asian Championships. He is a southpaw counter puncher whose best punches are his straight shots.

The other Asian to compete in the tournament will be Siyovush Zukhurov (Tajikstan). Another intriguing contender is Tsotne Rogava (Ukraine). He is a kickboxing and Muay Thai champion who has also gone 1-0 as a professional. A calculated boxer, he picks his punches well and is hard to hit with a tight guard. He has twice lost to Jalolov, in the World Championship and the Strandja Memorial 2021 tournament. He defeated the number one seed in the European qualification tournament before going out to Mahammad Abdullayev (Azerbaijan). A slick mover, he is incredibly relaxed in the ring, dropping his hands and looking to land looping punches. Only 22, he was the European under-22 champion in 2019. Another impressive youth boxer was Danier Pero (Cuba) who was 2016 Youth World Champion. Only 21, he is a southpaw with fast hands and good defensive reflexes. Jamaica will have there first boxing representative since 1996 in the form of Ricardo Brown (Jamaica). He will be hoping to land his big right hand to keep him in bouts. He was the Pan-American Games bronze medal winner after going out to Cristian Salcedo (Colombia) who won silver. He has both fast feet and hands, with his right hand a dangerous weapon. He can be hurt though and was stopped in the 2017 World Championship quarter final.

Like middleweight, this arguably suffers by having a boxer who most would consider to be a level above the rest. He has cruised to results recently and it almost feels like he will have it too easy to really get the blood pumping. The rest of the division is intriguing though and you have to feel for the boxers drawn to collide with Jalolov.

Jalolov will come up against either Latypov or Abdullayev first before taking on either Kumar or Brown. Abdullayev would have fancied his chances to medal so the draw would be disappointing. Aliev headlines the second quarter which has a distinctly European feel. He will take on Zukhurov before the winner of Clarke - Rogava. Another section with a continental feel is the third quarter which has an Americas flavour. Torres is the seed and assuming he gets past Bouloudinat will face either Pero or Salcedo. Kunkabayev will not be particularly fearful of his draw, up against Hafez then either Yegnong or Veriasov.

The heavyweight draw feels very straight forward. Jalolov should come through his quarter although maybe Adullayev pushes him. Clarke recently lost to Aliev at the qualifiers and seems to feel pressure on his shoulders. I am not sure we see the big man at his best here and would not be surprised if Rogava beats him. Aliev will make his way through against either. In the third quarter it comes down to the Pero - Torres bout for the honour to fight Kunkabayev. I give Pero the edge and expect he can set Torres up for the counter punching. Kunkabayev will get closest to Jalolov but we have seen numerous times that the Uzbek is just too good.

🥇Bakhodir Jalolov 🇺🇿

🥈Kamshybek Kunkabayev 🇰🇿

🥉Mourad Aliev 🇫🇷

🥉Danier Pero 🇨🇺

Women’s Flyweight (-51kg)

A division that has previously been dominated by Nicola Adams will crown a new champion this year. There is no former World Champion in this field as the previous two winners of that tournament both miss out. Chol Mi Pang won in 2018 and would have competed but for North Korea skipping the Olympics. Taking her place in Tokyo is Nguyen Thi Tam (Vietnam), a tall southpaw who made the 2019 World Championship quarter finals. She uses her long, wiry limbs and is pretty active in throwing punches. The winner in 2019 was Liliya Aetbaeva who won despite not earning a unanimous decision in any victory. She is not going to Tokyo, instead teammate Svetlana Soluianova (Russia) will compete. She was the European Champion in 2018. Another tall boxer standing 5’8, most of her work is done at range on the back foot. She could only win silver in 2019, losing to one of the potential medal winners Buse Cakiroglu (Turkey). Cakiroglu won the European Games as well that year and was the silver medal winner at the 2019 World Championship. Boxing out of a southpaw stance she tends to keep her lead hand low and look to counter punch with her fast hands. She won the European qualification tournament, beating Charley Davison (Great Britain). The Mum took a seven year break from boxing before returning and qualifying for the Olympics. Also a southpaw, despite her size she can work on the inside, but does prefer to counter punch.

She was an impressive youth boxer, winning world silver and European gold. Chang Yuan (China) was also a good youth boxer who has translated that quality to the senior scene. She was the Asian Games winner in 2018 and made the quarter finals of the 2019 World Championship. She is a tricky southpaw who picks her punches impressively, especially from range. Another Mother competing here is Christian Ongare (Kenya). She was a mother at only 12 and won Commonwealth Games bronze in 2018. She is short but has a high punch output and good movement whilst working her way in. Perhaps the story of the Olympic Games would be the triumph of Mandy Bujold (Canada). After taking a break during pregnancy and maternity she had not qualified to the Olympics given the change in qualification system. She appealed this decision and it was overturned, allowing her to compete in her second Olympics. Bujold reached the quarter final in 2016 despite illness and is a double Pan-American Games Champion. She mixes fast hands with fast feet, picking her punches well whilst staying defensively responsible. Bujold has already announced plans to retire after this tournament. Ingrit Valencia (Colombia) also competed at the last Olympics, winning bronze. She is 32 and has a wretched record against Bujold, losing four times, but with Bujold out won the 2019 Pan American Games. Also fighting out of a southpaw stance she keeps her lead her low, patiently stalking the opposition.

Another making her second appearance at the Games is Stoyka Krasteva (Bulgaria) formerly Petrova. She lost in the quarter finals in 2012 to Nicola Adams. Another southpaw, she mainly uses triggers and feints to work her way inside. Krasteva is a twice European champion most recently in 2018 and has two World Championship silver medals up at 54kg. The winner in the Bantamweight division in 2019 was Huang Hsiao-wen (Taiwan). Only 23, she is a tall, rangy boxer who looks to beat opponents on the back foot. She has also even boxed up at Featherweight and keeping her weight down at the Flyweight may stretch here. Another boxer who had competed at Bantamweight is Tursunoy Rakhimova (Uzbekistan) however she has been knocked out of the last two World Championships in the round of sixteen. At range, Rakhimova mainly bounces on her feet, left hand low, looking for opportunities to explode into her straight shots. Three boxers have come up from Light Flyweight. Roumaysa Boualam (Algeria) competed in that division until 2018, competing in two World Championships. The most dangerous weapon she has is a slightly overhand right but she also lacks ring generalship and is not the best defensively. Since her move up to Flyweight, she won the African Games in 2019. She did not win the African qualification tournament though, that honour went to Rabab Cheddar (Morocco) who also went to the quarter finals at Light Flyweight in the 2019 World Championships. She is quite good at picking punches, especially when counter punching, but can be beaten to the punch as most of her punches loop rather than going straight.

The most notable name though, arguably in female Olympic boxing is Mary Kom (India). A six time Light Flyweight world champion, she also represented India at the Olympics in 2012 winning bronze. Turning 39 later this year, she is a savvy veteran who uses her experiences in fights behind a wily jab. She also won bronze at the 2019 World Championships, having moved up to Flyweight. At the 2018 World Championship Tsukimi Namiki (Japan) took bronze, before losing in the 2019 quarter finals. She is a southpaw with fast feet who looks to put combinations together, especially on the inside. The other bronze medalist is 2019 was Virginia Fuchs (United States). Another who could provide a good story giving her ongoing battle with OCD, she is a southpaw with good movement. She is experienced, knowing how to control distance and does the fundamentals well. She took a silver medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games. On the way to silver she best Irismar Cardozo (Venezuela), the second time she has overcome ‘the wasp.’ Another southpaw, she marches forward looking to land big punches. A fighter with an even worse record against Fuchs is Graziele Jesus De Sousa (Brazil) who has lost five times to Fuchs. She is a southpaw who is patient, waiting for opportunities to attack. Another bronze medalist at the 2019 Pan-American Games was Miguelina Hernandez (Dominican Republic) who is only 23. Mainly, she looks to fight on the back foot but can get sloppy with her footwork.

Two boxers who have ventured into the professional ring will compete. Jutamas Jitpong (Thailand) has gone 5-2 as a professional. Constantly moving forward, she looks to take it to the opposition. More impressive though, is Nina Radovanovic (Serbia). A record of 14-4 includes three world title defeats, whilst she did hold the IBO Championship. Radovanovic has good hand speed and puts combinations together well. She went out in the qualification tournament to Giordana Sorrentino (Italy). At 21, she is one of the younger competitors in the tournament and stands at 5’0. She draws opponents in and looks to counter once they are within reach. One of her most impressive wins as a senior was victory over Sandra Drabik (Poland). The wily veteran is a four time European medalist and reached the World Championship quarter finals in 2018. She often fights with her hand low, with her experience of these tournaments coming in handy. Omella Havyarimana (Burundi) will become the first ever boxer from Burundi to compete at the Olympics. She has long limbs and good athletic ability but she probably needs more experience at the top level as she is too easily caught by top level boxers. Another first sees Catherine Nanziri(Uganda) as the first Ugandan woman to compete at an Olympics. Only 21, she is another who throws looping punches and  mainly tries to lead off. Last but not least is Irish Magno (Philippines), a powerful fighter who looks to swing hooks in.

The move from 12 to 26 boxers in this division shows how much women’s boxing has grown. Do a few boxers look out of place? Sure, but that is the same in all of the male division. No one boxer dominates here which gives the division a fascinating shape.

Cakioglu is the number one seed and arguably favourite. She has received a solid draw. Her path will see her take on either Drabik or Rakhimova. One of Magno, Ongare, Jitpong or Boualam will make it to the quarter finals and are not the most impressive. Watch Ongare - Magno to see two girls going hell for leather. Huang headlines the second quarter. Her opening bout will likely be against Sorrentino whilst Bujold - Radovanovic will be a tough bout on the other side of that quarter. Kom will start her campaign against Hernandez before taking on Valencia. Nakimi and Sousa will potentially clash to make the quarter finals, making this a tough quarter. The toughest quarter is the bottom one. Yuan is seeded and will likely come up against Davison in the second round whilst Nguyen, Krasteva, Souluianova and Fuchs will compete for the other quarter final spot.

The top half is so much easier than the bottom.I think Cakiroglu comes through her quarter with relative ease. Her toughest bout will be her first likely against Drabik before taking out the aggressive Jitpong. Bujold will likely make the quarter final to take on Huang. I could see Kom defeating Valencia, who she has a previous win over but taking on Nakimi will likely be too much. Kratseva has wins over Fuchs and Souluianova on her resume. I can see her making the quarter final whilst Davison-Yuan is likely to be a real chess match. Whoever wins, I can see the judges favouring the pressure of Kratseva. I do not think she will beat Nakimi, who will go on to meet Cakiroglu in the final. At home, I give the edge to Nakimi.

🥇Tsukimi Nakimi 🇯🇵

🥈Buse Cakiroglu 🇹🇷

🥉Huang Hsiao-wen 🇹🇼

🥉Stoyka Kratseva 🇧🇬

Women’s Featherweight (-57kg)

One of the other big global names and potential stories will be Ramla Ali (Somalia). An incredible story which included her keeping her boxing secret from his Muslim family, has led her to the cover of Vogue and deals with Nike, Pantene and Cartier. She is a patient boxer sticking her lead hand out and keeping it constantly in the opponents face. She looks to attack with fluid combinations. As a professional who has gone 3-0 under the Eddie Hearn banner but has not had a big international amateur win for a while. At the African qualifiers she lost to the aggressive southpaw Khouloud Hlimi (Tunisia) who was the 2019 African Games champion at Lightweight. A scrappy fighter, she looks to constantly come forward and make it a rough fight. The champion at Featherweight and winner of the African qualifiers was Keamogetse Kenosi (Botswana). She had also fought at lightweight, but is unrelenting with a good right hand. At the Commonwealth Games she was stopped by Michaela Walsh (Ireland) who went on to win silver. She has never medalled at the World Championship, losing in the round of sixteen in 2019. Constantly on her toes, she is at her best when at range. Walsh has medalled at the European events but the only gold came in the 2017 EU Championship at Bantamweight. Coming up from Bantamweight is also Lin Yu-Ting (Taiwan). She was the 2018 world champion before going onto take bronze up at Featherweight in 2019. A double Asian champion she uses her height and reach to counter opponents.

Coming from an even lower weight is Stanmira Petrova (Bulgaria). She competed in Rio at Flyweight, where she lost to Nicola Adams having been 2014 Bantamweight world champion. As a youngster she converted from a Taekwondo base and has won European tournaments in both 2016 and 2018. That background is seen in her distance control, with her hands usually down by her side looking for opportunities to counter. She is also a multi time winner of the Strandja tournament, including at the start of this year showing she is in good form. At the 2019 World Championship she went out in the first round. It was to the eventual winner Nancy Petecio (Philippines). Only 5’2 she also has a silver medal from 2014. In-between those two though she has not featured in the medal shake up of most tournaments, even losing in the Asian qualifiers. With her short stature she swings looping shots, behind lots of head movement and a tight guard when attacked. She lost to one of the boxers she beat in the World Championship run. It was Sena Irie (Japan), the bronze medalist at the Youth World Championship in 2018. Another who prefers to be at range, she quick lateral movement to control distance.  Before losing to Yu-Ting in the final of the qualifiers she defeated Im Ae-Ji (South Korea). She was the youth world champion in 2017 and is an elusive southpaw who fights in little spurts. The 2019 European youth silver medalist was Nikolina Cacic (Croatia). Only 20, she has a good measure of distance and uses it to control the opposition.

In the European qualifiers she went out to Irma Testa (Italy) who went on to win the tournament winning every bout by unanimous decision. Only 23, she won the 2019 under-22 European tournament. Tall and strong, she sticks a strong lead jab out, mixing it up with strong combinations behind the jab. She can be trapped by moving backwards in straight lines. Testa also competed in the 2016 Olympics, losing to eventual gold medalist Estelle Mossely. She is in great form having also won the Boxam Tournament and the Bocksai Istvan Memorial this season. Jucielen Romeu(Brazil) also has a tournament win this year at the Cologne Boxing World Cup. Romeu keeps tight defensively but is not skilled at opening her opponents up. She also won Pan-American Games silver in 2019. Another medalist at the Pan-American Games was Yeni Arias (Venezuela) who took bronze. Her most notable win came at the 2018 World Championship as she defeated Petecio. Arias is at her best when allows to press forward in a fight with her spearing jab. She went out to Sonia Chahal, who went onto win silver. Not one of the medalist from that Championships will compete. The only other quarter finalist is Skye Nicholson (Australia). She lost to Yu-Ting in 2019 and is the Commonwealth Games champion from 2018. Her story is another inspirational one with the death of her brother being a key moment in her life. She is very difficult to pin down with good movement and sharp counter punching out of her southpaw stance.

Caroline Veyre (Canada) reached the quarter finals in the 2018 World Championship but up at Lightweight. The 32-year-old born in Paris won the 2015 Pan American Games up at Light Welterweight before coming down in weight. Mainly fighting behind the one-two, she can be dragged out of shape. Yamileth Solorzano (El Salvador) has competed in the Pan-American Games but has really struggled when up at this level. She puts her punches together well often finding openings but defensively can be lax. It was 1988, the last time El Salvador had a boxer compete in the Olympics. Marcelat Sakobi Matshu (Congo) will compete in Tokyo having had 2 professional fights, going 1-1 and is nicknamed ‘The Queen.’ A good punch picker at range she can get dragged into a scrap. Liudmilla Vorontsova (Russia) is only 22 but took the 2019 World Championship silver medal. She mainly fights in bursts but often ends up in scrappy fights. Winning bronze at the same tournament was Kariss Artingstall (Great Britain). The army boxer was also the silver medalist at the 2019 European Championships. She is a lanky southpaw who hits hard and uses good lateral movement as her defence. The final European qualifier is Maria Nechita (Romania) who will compete ahead of compatriot Perijoc. She often gets caught on the way in as she can fall in behind her punches.

Arguably the strongest of the female divisions, it feels like the majority of these boxers cannot be ruled out. We saw shocks in the qualifiers and it could be the same here.

Yu-Ting is the number one seed, but highlighting the strength of the division, her first fight will likely come against world champion Petecio. Whoever gets through that contest will come up against either Petrova or Arias. Walsh is the seed here but it is another horrible path. Her first bout will either be Testa who beat her at the Olympic qualifiers or world silver medalist Vorontsova. Veyre will be expected to make the quarter final. Romeu is the number three seed and will likely come up against Artingstall who could stop Kenosi in the opening round. On the other side of that quarter, Im and Nicholson should be an intriguing opening contest. The fourth is the weakest quarter. Ramla Ali has been drawn in the same quarter as Hlimi who beat her in the qualifiers. Irie, Nechita and Solorzano compete that quarter meaning that it doesn’t have the same level of boxer as the rest.

I do believe that Petecio is perhaps more vulnerable than her world champion status would leave you to believe. Yu-Ting and her classy counters may be perfect to expose that but the pressure of Petecio will make it interesting. I expect Yu-Ting to win and then defeat Petrova. Another really rough section, I think it comes down to who wins the opening bout between Testa and Vorontsova. I see the third quarter coming down to Artingstall or Nicholson. Nicholson probably has the counter punching ability to frustrate Artingstall. Irie should be favourite to make it out of that third quarter. I think Hlimi will suit her perfectly and she can defeat Ali in a chess match. I think Testa can defeat Yu-Ting in the semi final to go on to face Nicholson. The final will be a cagey affair where the pressure of Testa gets the victory.

🥇Irma Testa 🇮🇹

🥈Skye Nicholson 🇦🇺

🥉Lin Yu-Ting 🇹🇼

🥉Sena Irie 🇯🇵

Women’s Lightweight (-60kg)

The most notable name is Mira Potkonen (Finland) who will be famous to many for knocking out Katie Taylor at the 2016 Olympics. She won a bronze in 2016, adding to two world championship bronze medals. She is also a double european  champion and won at the 2019 European Games. Now 40, this is almost definitely her last shot at the Olympics and she would have been one of the boxers affected badly by the year delay. She likes to move forward and is good at timing her punches but can often get scrappy. She has been incredibly active throughout the Olympic cycle though but only qualified through the ranking system after she was defeated by Caroline Dubois (Great Britain). The younger sister of Daniel Dubois, the British heavyweight, is only 20 but only has two career losses. The southpaw is impressive defensively with lovely movement. She puts her straight punches together well, timing the opponents. She dominated at the youth level, winning everything that she possibly could. She is the headliner of a number of young European boxers. Donjeta Sadiku (Kosovo) was the 2015 Junior World Championship silver medal. Only 22, she missed out on competing in the 2018 World Championship due to not being granted a visa in India. Another 22 year old is Naomie Yumba Therese (Congo). A tall fighter she has quick hands, often finding a home for her straight left from the southpaw stance. Also a southpaw, Rebecca Nicoli (Italy) is only 21 and won silver at the 2019 European under-22 Championship. She is a short boxer who looks to come forward.

Another impressive boxer as a youth was Agnes Alexiusson (Sweden) who won the Youth World Championship in 2013 and has since been incredibly active, including reaching the 2018 World Championship quarter finals. She times her punches very well, mainly looking to counter opponents. It was Oh Yeon-Ji (South Korea) who defeated her and won bronze. She was the Asian champion in 2017 and mainly fights on the backfoot where she can use her quick movement. Simranjat Kaur (India) also won bronze at the 2018 World Championship, up at Light Welterweight before taking silver at the 2019 Asian Championships. She is a busy boxer who is never in a bad bout and has good power. She is one of three woman to have medalled up at Light Welterweight. Sudaporn Seesondee (Thailand) won bronze at the 2014 World Championship but her banner year at Lightweight came in 2018, winning silver in both the Asian Championships and World Championships. A southpaw who is constantly moving, her favourite combination is the one-two. Kellie Harrington (Ireland) competed in the higher division whilst Katie Taylor was the Irish representative. She was the World Championship silver medalist in 2016, but back down to Lightweight in 2018 she took gold. Harrington also has European medals but has found herself coming up on the losing side against longtime rival Potkonen many times. A tall boxer, she keeps her lead hand low and will look to pick opponents off.

Harrington defeated Dubois in the European qualification tournament final, having beat Esra Yildiz (Turkey) in the round before. Another with an impressive youth career, she also won the European Championship bronze in 2016. Hands held low, Yildiz is another who likes to pick her punches, capable of moving forward or backwards but never at a particularly high pace.

Arguably the most notable professional taking their spot in Tokyo is Maiva Hamadouche (France). She won silver at the 2019 European Championship and is a 22-1 professional who has held the IBF title since 2016. Always looking to come forward, she can find herself getting scrappy. Wu Shih-Yi (Taiwan) is another continental silver medalist, in the 2019 Asian Championship. She is tall and lean, keeping her hands low. The other Asian contender is Raykhona Kodirova (Uzbekistan). Kodirova is a southpaw but struggles at the top level. The reigning world champion is Beatriz Ferreira (Brazil). She is in great form having already won the Strandja Memorial and Cologne World Cup this season. A short boxer she is constantly moving forward she puts combinations together really nicely, varying the punches.

The other medalist from the 2019 World Championship is Rashida Ellis (United States). Another who has won a tournament this year, the Boxam Tournament. A boxer with a smile, she likes to be unpredictable looking to hit and move, often counter punching. She’s also a bronze medalist from the 2019 Pan-American Games. Another bronze medalist from that tournament was Esmeralda Falcon (Mexico) who has been struck down with Covid-19 and will be the first female Mexican boxer to compete in the boxing. A short stocky southpaw, she is good at timing her punches. Maria Palacios (Ecuador) will also compete but has lost every step up she has faced, losing in the 2019 World Championship round of sixteen. She is better offensively than defensively, often getting caught. Imane Khelif(Algeria) won the African qualification tournament, upsetting the number one seed. She is a tall boxer with nice movement who looks to pick off opponents. In the final of that tournament she defeated Mariem Homrani (Tunisia). She is an aggressive fighter who punches with power, upsetting two seeded fighters to make the final of the qualification tournament.

The talent is maybe not as deep here as some of the division but the intrigue at the top is just as fascinating.

Harrington is the number one seed and her run likely starts with Nicoli if she can get past Falcon. The potential quarter final opponent will be either Homrani or Khelif. Kaur headlines the second quarter and will likely come up against Seesondee. The other mini section of the quarter is populated by Dubois, Sadiku and Ellis. Ferreira has a tough looking opening bout, taking on either Shih-Yi or Alexiusson whilst the winner likely has to get through Kodirova in the quarter finals. The headline first round bout comes as Potkonen takes on Hamadouche with the winner taking on Yeon-Ji. Esra Yildiz will likely wait in the quarter finals.

Harrington has an intriguing opening bout with Nicoli but she should have enough to come through. The second section may be the toughest to predict. Dubois-Ellis will be a really classy match up in the second round whilst Seesondee-Kaur is also tough. I think it will be one of the two from the first semi final and will give the edge to Ellis. I think Ferreira should move through her quarter although Shih-Yi will be tough. Potkonen should be too classy for Hamadouche but I think Yeon-Ji can use her movement on the backfoot to upset the Finnish boxer. Harrington and Ferreira should be able to get through setting up the grand finale, where I see Ferreira confirming her form over Harrington.

🥇Beatriz Ferreira 🇧🇷

🥈Kellie Harrington 🇮🇪

🥉Rashida Ellis 🇺🇸

🥉Oh Yeon-Ji 🇰🇷

Women’s Welterweight (-69kg)

Another of the new weight divisions, it arguably lacks the strength of some of the smaller weights. Baison Manikon(Thailand) is one of the young talents, having won the best female at the 2019 Asian Youth Championships. Only 19, she is a tall southpaw, often looking to counter but throws dynamic combinations to the head and body. Another young boxer is Lovlina Borgohain (India), only 23. She has won bronze at the last two World Championships as well as at the 2017 and 2021 Asian Championships. A spiteful puncher, she has a number of big wins. Arguably her best win came against the lady who beat her in the 2018 semi and went on to win gold; Chen Nien-Chin (Taiwan). Chen used to compete at Middleweight, competing at Rio where she lost her opening bout. A classy competitor, she can switch stances and throw a variety of combinations. The older Asian contender is Gu Hong (China), who represents China ahead of Dou Dan and Yang Liu. Technically good, she keeps her lead hand relaxed and looks to counter. She was the Asian champion in 2019 and won silver at the 2018 World Championships. The other medalist at that World Championship, who Hong beat in the semi final was Nadine Apetz (Germany). It added to a bronze from 2016 as well as some bronzes in European tournaments. She is a patient boxer who boxes behind a tidy jab. In the opening round of the World Championships she defeated Acinda Panguana (Mozambique). She was a silver medalist at the 2019 African Games. Bronze medalist, but the winner of the African qualifiers was Oumayma Bel Ahbib (Morocco) who attacks behind a strong one-two. Probing with her lead, she switches precise attacks between head and body.

Winner of the European qualifiers was Busenaz Surmeneli (Turkey). She is the reigning world champion from 2019, improving on her European Championship bronze from the same year having come down from Middleweight where she competed in the 2018 World Championship. Surmeneli does it all, she is able to box in any manner and puts it all together with stylish flair. Moving the opposite way, coming up from Light Welterweight where she won the 2019 World Championship silver medal is Angela Carini (Italy). She has had success at this weight though, winning 2019 European Championship silver and repeating that at the under 22s earlier this year. Another classy operator, she has a relaxed stance often keeping both hands low. Carini relies on her fast hands to out land opponents: Oshae Jones(United States) is only 23 and was the Pan-American Games 2019 winner. She is a southpaw body puncher who reached the 2019 World Championship quarter final. The silver medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games was Myriam Da Silva (Canada). She is at the other end of the age scale at 37 and did reach the 2018 World Championship quarter final. Another southpaw, Da Silva looks to counter punch but has a strong jab and varied combinations. The two other medalists will also compete in Tokyo. Maria Moronta (Dominican Republic) has regularly lost when stepping up to this level. A short fighter she attacks from a crouched stance looking to get inside and land combinations.

Brianda Cruz (Mexico) is the other medalist but has arguably come closer to a big victory. She throws accurate punches when given time to pick her shots but moves backwards in straight lines. Another bronze medalist at continental championships is Elizabeth Akinyi (Kenya) who bronze at the 2017 African Championship. A patient boxer, she will likely find the sharpness of opposition too much here. Saadat Dalgatova (Russia) has a couple of World Championship medals. It was silver in 2014 before winning bronze in 2018. Dalagatova looks to constantly active, keeping on her toes whilst also feinting away with her lead hand. At 32, she has a number of wins over some of her major competitors. However one of her losses came at the Olympic qualifiers to Anna Lysenko (Ukraine). Lysenko landed crisp counter punches that day to take the victory. Dalgatova qualified through the box off after she defeated Karolina Koszewska (Poland). The only boxer to have fought professionally in this division she had a 12-1 record and fought for a world title in 2008. A 6’1 southpaw, she presents an awkward challenge for opposition with her long limbs and her ability to avoid pressure. 39 now, her comeback saw her win the European Games in 2019 and make the quarter finals in the World Championship. To make it there she defeated Shakhnoza Yunusova(Uzbekistan). She throws spiteful looking punches from her southpaw stance, most notably a looping left hand.

This arguably lacks the top end quality of some of the other divisions but still remains a fascinatingly tight division.

Surmeneli is the number one seed and will open against either Koszewska or Yunusova before taking one either Bel Ahbib or Lysenko. The second section is arguably the toughest as Apetz takes on Borgohain with the winner coming up against Carini or Nien-Chin. Two double bronze medalists clashing in their opening bout may be the bout of the round. Jones arguably got the perfect draw for herself, in a section with familiar foes; Cruz, Da Silva and Moronta. Another pair with a good draw are Panguana-Akinyi who box each-other to make the quarter finals. They will likely meet the winner of second round clash between Hong and probably Dalgatova.

Bel Ahbib already has a win over Lysenko and I can see her moving through to the quarter finals but Surmeneli will cruise through that side of the draw. Carini is improving but I cannot see her beating Nien-Chin. Borgohain is probably the one that I’d edge to Apetz and I could see the young improver beating the experienced Nien-Chin. Jones will likely come up against Da Silva in the quarter finals but is the better boxer. Hong - Dalgatova is a big clash in the second round and I think her patient style lends itself to defeating the counter punching of Hong. Dalgatova has a win over Jones but the American keeps improving and I see her making the final. Ultimately though, Surmeneli is the class of this field and I think she takes gold.

🥇Busenaz Surmeneli 🇹🇷

🥈Oshae Jones 🇺🇸

🥉Lovlina Borgohain 🇮🇳

🥉Saadat Dalgatova 🇷🇺

Women’s Middleweight (-75kg)

One of the most decorated divisions it is fiercely competitive. Two Olympic medalists return in Li Qian (China) and Nouchka Fontijn (Netherlands). Qian went on to be world Championship in 2018, improving on her silver from 2014 and is the double Asian champion. She is an awkward switch hitter, who is rangy at 5’11 and has a good jab. Fontijn has never won World Championship gold, taking three silvers and a bronze to add to her Olympic silver from 2016. She has a 2-4 record against Qian. A tall boxer, she boxes long, using her straight punches to not only score but to keep her opponents away from landing punches on her. A double European champion, she is in good form this season having won the Cologne Boxing World Cup. Fontijn was defeated this season though, by Zemfira Magomedalieva (Russia) in the Olympic qualifiers. She is a twice World and European champion. She won world titles at heavyweight and light heavyweight before coming down to middleweight, whilst both European titles came at heavyweight. That size and strength is her biggest asset but she can get into scrappy fights and may find the speed of these boxers too much to cope with. The 33 year old will be hoping her body can cope with making weight throughout the tournament. Pooja Rani (India) will be dropping down from light heavyweight where she was the 2019 Asian champion, before winning the 2021 edition at middleweight. A southpaw, she is quick on her feet and puts her combinations together well.

The reigning African Games winner is Khadeeja El-Mardi (Morocco) who also won bronze at the 2019 World Championship. She lost in the 2016 Olympics in the quarter finals. Another big power, she looks to land with power behind her strong jab, as she lures opponents in. In the African Games final she beat Rady Gramane (Mozambique). An energetic southpaw, she seems to be at her best when given time to pick shots. The other competitor who also competed in 2016 is Atheyna Bylon (Panama). She has moved up in weight, after being winning welterweight gold at the 2014 World Championships. Bylon competed in that division as recently as the 2019 Pan-American Games, where she only lost to Oshae Jones on a split decision. She is a southpaw who uses quick dynamic attacks, usually looking to counter opponents. Up at middleweight, the Pan-American Games went to Jessica Caicedo, but was later stripped of that gold after receiving a doping suspension. Instead the gold went to Naomi Graham (United States). She will become the first female active duty US Army member to box for her country in the Olympics. At the 2018 World Championships she made won bronze before losing in the 2019 quarter final. Graham won the Strandja tournament during the year and is a strong boxer but is also technically skilled.

The 2019 quarter final saw her lose out Tammara Thibeault (Canada), a fourth consecutive loss to her younger foe. Another big boxer, she picks punches intelligently from her southpaw stance. Often she looks awkward because of the long limbs but it is effective. She went on to win bronze, improving from a quarter final in 2018 and also won silver at the Pan-American Games. The other medalist who will compete is bronze medal winner Erika Pachito(Ecuador). A good attacking fighter, she can be sloppy defensively, especially when attacked. The current world champion is Lauren Price (Great Britain). She improved on a bronze from 2018 and also won the European Games and the Commonwealth Games. A former footballer and kick-boxer she is short for the division. Another southpaw, despite her short reach, she likes to work on the outside leaping in with sharp attacks. She has not lost in international competition since 2018. It was Fontijn who last beat, Price has since gone on to beat her twice. Prior to Fontijn it was Caitlin Parker (Australia) who last beat Price. She also battled competitively in the Commonwealth Games where she won silver. Another classy boxers who uses her long, straight punches to trouble opponents with brilliant speed and reflexes.

Nadezhda Ryabets (Kazakhstan) is a 20 year old who was an impressive youth boxer, winning bronze at the Youth Olympics in 2018 and a junior world champion. A switch hitter she prefers to operate in southpaw and has a tendency to make things scrappy. A stout frame, she puts her combinations together well on the inside. Also 20 is Ichrak Chaib (Algeria), who was beaten by Ryabets for bronze at the Olympics. She has also come down from a heavier weight and has good footwork as well as impressive punch variety.

Elzbieta Wojcik (Poland) was a Youth Olympic gold medalist back in 2014. Arguably she has never quite lived up to that billing, with medals in the European Games and Championships, but no gold. Wojcik is comfortable with her hands low, attacking from her southpaw stance. She qualified by the Olympic rankings, after losing to Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) in qualifying. Only 24, she is improving rapidly after winning the European Championship in 2019, where she also defeated Wojcik. She attacks behind a dangerous straight right. Monkhbatyn Myagmarjargal (Mongolia) is the first female Mongolian boxer in the Olympics, looking to emulate some of her successful male compatriots. She won bronze at the Asian Championships earlier this year. A busy boxer, she is always probing with her lead hands and puts combinations together well.

Price starts as the number one seed. Her opening bout is Myagmarjargal before taking on either Parker or Bylon. Both will rue their draw although Parker is one of the last boxers to defeat Price. Fontijn is the number four seed meaning that she could meet Price in the semi final. First though she has to get through a tough run, coming up against Wojcik and then the winner of Ryabets - Thibeault. Third seed Graham got another draw they all wanted to avoid in Magomedalieva with the winner boxing either Grahame or Pachito. Rani is also coming down from 81 and if she can get past Chaib will face either the seeded Qian or O’Rourke.

I think Price can work her way through her quarter. She will have to overcome familiar foe Parker, but I think she is in the form of her life and can get through. This second quarter is tough, Fontijn should make it to the quarter finals where I see her coming up against Thibeault. Thibeault is also long so she may not be able to make the most of her size. I think Thibeault has enough to win a shock split decision. Graham is another seed who I think can be upset given her draw. She has losses to some of the bigger boxers in the division and Magomedalieva is that. O’Rourke is improving but probably not enough to beat Qian who I can also see edging Rani in an awkward bout. I think Qian can go on to make the final where she finds Price a bit too speedy for her.

🥇Lauren Price 🇬🇧

🥈Li Qian 🇨🇳

🥉Tammara Thibeault 🇨🇦

🥉Zemfira Magomedalieva 🇷🇺