A battle royale looms in women’s four weight divisions in the African Games boxing tournament starting on Friday, March 15.
World bronze medallist and Africa champion Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki and two-time Africa champion Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam are set for another bruising battle of supremacy – their four encounter.
Will African Games defending featherweight champion Keamogetse Kenosi clash with Africa champion DR Congo’s Marcelat Sakobi for the fourth time?
There’s every possibility Nigeria’s smooth operator Cynthia Ogunsemilore (pictured) will meet her arch-rival in the lightweight berth, Algeria’s Africa champion Hedjila Khelif in the semi-finals in what will be a rematch following Ogunsemilore’s victory over Khelif in the finals of Dakar Paris Olympics qualifiers.
And watch out for Nigeria’s punching machine Patricia Mbata who is planning to dismantle two-time Africa middleweight champion Rady Gramane of Mozambique when they meet in a rematch in the semi-finals.
In the light-flyweight quarter-finals, Mouttaki is pitted against Ghana’s Ramatu Quaye whom the Moroccan will easily sort out to romp to the semis.
Roumaysa meets DR Congo’s Benedicte Diyoka, another fodder for the Algerian and will then face Mouttaki for the fourth time in the semis. Roumaysa has won twice and Mouttaki once at the 2017 Africa Championships in Congo Brazzaville. They met for the second time in the 2019 African Games flyweight final with the Algerian winning gold, and again beat Mouttaki last year in the finals during the Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.
If Kenosi and Sakobi meet again, it will be the fourth time with Kenosi winning twice and Sakobi once at the Dakar Paris Olympics qualifiers. Kenosi has a tough quarter-final battle against Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Phiwokuhle Mnguni of South Africa.
The boxer likely to spoil their party is Tunisia’s 2019 African Games lightweght champion Hlimi Khlouloud who has since moved down to featherweight. The never-say-die southpaw Tunisian boxer is likely to meet Sakobi in the semis after seeing off Sudan’s Khadija Khader in the quarters. She has beaten both Kenosi and Sakobi.
Nigeria’s stylish southpaw Ogunsemillore is favoured to defeat Uganda’s Erina Namutebi in the quarters with Khelif doing the same against DR Congo’s 2019 African Games bronze medallist Therese Yumba for a semi-final clash with Ogunsemilore. It’s an anti-climax, though. They should have met in the final.
AFBC Communications
2024 All African Games:
Explosive boxing expected in women’s light-fly, feather, lightweight,& middleweight
