Four boxing finals were contested at Roland Garros stadium on Friday evening at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Women’s flyweight (50kg/110lbs)
After three Olympics without any gold medals in women’s boxing, China won its second in as many days when Wu Yu beat Turkiye’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the flyweight final on Friday.
The Philippines’ Aira Villegas and Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan took bronze after their semifinal defeats.
Wu began with real ferocity as she went after Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Cakiroglu, who appeared to be caught out by her opponent’s intensity. She fell over while backtracking from the Chinese boxer’s first-round assault.
In the final round, Cakiroglu had a promising opportunity when she penned Wu into a corner and unloaded a series of shots. Before she could do much serious damage, Wu grappled her. The two boxers nearly fell out of the ring.
Wu was docked a point in the third round for repeatedly punching her opponent in the back of the head, but that penalty mattered little as she clinched the win by a 4-1 decision.
SEE MORE: China’s boxer Wu Yu wins flyweight gold at Paris Olympics
Women’s welterweight (66kg/145lbs)
Algeria’s Imane Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight boxing final by unanimous decision at the Paris Olympics on Friday, defeating China’s Yang Liu.
Khelif, keeping her opponent at bay with her jab and taking control of the center of the ring, landed an early left hook, soon followed by a right as she looked in total control.
She sent Yang to the ropes with a precise right hook at the start of the second round. Yang refused to back down but never found the right distance to threaten her opponent, who rode a wave of support on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros.
The crowd cheered as Khelif’s corner carried her on their shoulders to the end of the stadium.
Khelif became the first Algerian woman to earn an Olympic boxing title and the first boxer from her country to claim gold since Hocine Soltani at Atlanta 1996.
SEE MORE: Algeria’s Imane Khelif wins women’s welterweight boxing gold
Men’s welterweight (71kg/156lbs)
Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev won his country’s first gold of the night in the men’s welterweight boxing final.
Muydinkhujaev and Mexican runner-up Verde had previously fought at the Boxam International in January, which Verde won en route to his silver medal at the tournament.
But in Paris, Muydinkhujaev was by far the better boxer in the opening two rounds.
Muydinkhujaev did well to keep out of range — but struck with venom whenever the Mexican attempted to bridge the gap. The Uzbek enjoyed a comfortable lead heading into the final round.
With his defeat all but guaranteed, Mexico’s Verde went out hard in the third and final round. Too little, too late: Muydinkhujaev was declared the winner.
Pan American Games champion Verde was looking to become the first Mexican to win an Olympic boxing gold medal since Ricardo Delgado (flyweight) and Antonio Roldan (featherweight) at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
American Omari Jones and Lewis Richardson of Great Britain took bronze after their semifinal defeats.
SEE MORE: Welterweight Muydinkhujaev wins boxing gold for Uzbekistan
Men’s heavyweight (92kg/202lbs)
Uzbekistan’s Lazizbek Mullojonov won gold in the men’s heavyweight boxing by unanimous decision at the Olympics on Friday, leaving Azerbaijan’s Loren Alfonso with silver.
Tajikistan’s Davlat Boltaev and Enmanuel Reyes of Spain took bronze after their semifinal defeats.
Mullojonov became the third Uzbek boxer to win gold at the Paris Games after Hasanboy Dusmatov‘s flyweight win on Thursday and Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev’s welterweight victory earlier on Friday night.
Mullojonov dominated in the fight, winning the first two rounds on every judge’s scorecard as he landed the cleaner shots and nullified Alfonso’s attack with his movement.
Alfonso did better in the third round, but was unable to do enough to sway the judges. Mullojonov took a 5-0 win.
Tokyo bronze medalist Alfonso, who was born in Cuba, was looking to become the first boxer from Azerbaijan to win gold at the Olympics.
SEE MORE: Uzbekistan’s Lazizbek
Mullojonov wins men’s heavyweight gold
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