Light-flyweight
THE draw for the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games was held Thursday (August 4). British light-flyweight Galal Yafai will contest the first boxing bout of Rio 2016 on Saturday (August 6), taking on Cameroon’s Simplice Fotsala. If the GB 49kgs wins he’ll progress to a clash with Cuba’s flashy World champion Joahnys Argilagos on August 8.
Ireland’s Paddy Barnes has a bye in the first round, on August 8 he will bo the winner of Samuel Carmona Heredia (Spain) and Artur Hovhannisyan (Armenia). America’s Nico Herndandez gets Italy’s Manuel Cappai on August 6 in their first bout of the tournament.
Flyweight
The USA’s Antonio Vargas boxes host nation’s Juliao Neto on August 13.
GB’s Muhammad Ali gets a bye and then on August 15 boxes the winner of Yoel Segundo Finol (Venezuela)-Leone De Los Santos Nunez (Dominica). Ireland’s Brendan Irvine boxes Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov on August 13.
Britain’s Nicola Adams gets a bye in the first stage.
Bantamweight
Irish World gold medallist Michael Conlan has a bye in the first and then on August 14 goes up against the winner of Aram Avagyan (Armenia) versus Arashi Morisaka (Japan). GB’s Qais Ashfaq has it tough. He’s drawn against Thailand’s skilled and experienced Chatchai Butdee on August 10. If he gets through that challenge it’s most likely Russia’s rough, tough Vladimir Nikitin next.
American hope Shakur Stevenson gets a bye and then winner of Brazil’s Robenilson De Jesus versus Algeria’s Fahem Hammachi.
Lightweight
USA’s Carlos Balderas boxes Berik Abdrakhmanov (Kazakhstan) on August 6. GB’s European gold medallist Joe Cordina is up against Charley Suarez (Philippines) on the same day. Ireland’s David Olive Joyce boxes Andrique Allisop (Seychelles) on August 6. He should be confident of winning that but then it would be Azerbaijan’s Albert Selimov on August 9, a far tougher ask.
Ireland’s Katie Taylor gets a bye. Mikaela Mayer (USA) boxes Micronesia’s Jennifer Chieng on August 12.
Light-welterweight
On August 10 Gary Russell (USA) boxes fellow American, Richardson Hitchins representing Haiti. August 11 sees Pat McCormack boxing Kazakhstan’s Ablaikhan Zhussupov. He has a tough draw, victory will see him go in with brilliant Cuban Yasnier Toledo Lopez on August 14.
Welterweight
Ireland’s 69kgs Steven Donnelly opens his account against Zohir Kedache (Algeria) on August 7. Britain’s Josh Kelly has Egypt’s Walid Mohamed on August 8, win that though and he’ll have outstanding Kazakh Daniyar Yeleussinov on August 11.
Middleweight
A hard draw for Britain’s Antony Fowler – former World gold medallist, a fast southpaw Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (Kazakhstan). Ireland’s Michael O’Reilly gets a bye. The USA’s Charles Conwell boxes India’s Krishan Vikas on August 9.
Elite American Claressa Shields, an Olympic and two-time World gold medallist gets a bye. Savannah Marshall will have to do it the hard way. She boxes Sweden Anna Laurell on August 14 and would then move on to Nouchka Fontjin (Netherlands), who beat at the Worlds earlier this year.
Light-heavyweight
Irish World silver medallist Joe Ward gets a bye, to then box the winner of Serge Michel (Germany)-Carlos Mina (Ecuador) on August 10.
Britain’s Joshua Buatsi takes on capable Kennedy Katende (Uganda) on August 7, if he wins he’d then face Uzbekistan’s Elshod Rasulov, a very good fighter on August 11.
Heavyweight
GB’s Lawrence Okolie will start off against Igor Jakubowski (Poland) on August 6, but victory would then see him go in with Cuba’s Erislandy Savon, who stopped Lawrence earlier this year, on August 8.
Super-heavyweight
Davilson Dos Santos Morais of Cape Verde stands in the way of Britain’s Joe Joyce on August 13.
