Paris: What to know and who to watch at what may be the final Olympic boxing event
Boxing is no stranger to controversy, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding this amateur sport right now.
With rival organisations vying for control and the IOC threatening to remove it from the next Olympics altogether, action in Paris, at least, is sure to be centred around the rings.
Featured Athletes
Arlen Lopez (Cuba): Now 31, the two-time Olympic champion is looking to become just the fourth three-time gold medalist in Olympic boxing history and will likely have to beat promising professional boxer and Manny Pacquiao protégé Eumir Marcial of the Philippines.
Julio Cesar La Cruz (Cuba): Despite having two professional bouts in 2022, the formidable heavyweight fighter returned to challenge the three-time gold medallist for his privileged title.
Tere Moana “Junior” Tere Moana (Australia): The most intriguing fighter in Australia's impressive team may be the 6ft 6in (1.98m) super heavyweight who has recorded four professional knockouts.
Kelly Harrington (Ireland): The Tokyo lightweight champion returned seeking a second gold medal but suffered his first defeat in almost three years and has faced criticism on social media for expressing anti-immigrant stances.
Busenaz Surmeneli (Türkiye): She won her country its first Olympic medal in boxing with a dominant victory at welterweight in Tokyo and, now a standard-bearer for the amateur sport, she's back in Paris, already with Los Angeles in her sights.
Future story
The field in Paris will feature more female boxers than ever before at the Olympic Games, competing in a record six weight classes. Women's boxing has grown exponentially since joining the Olympic Games in 2012, and the field is now stronger than ever.
A century after the sport began, this could be the last Olympics for boxing. The IOC recently severed ties with boxing's previous governing body and declared the sport could be phased out entirely before the Los Angeles Games, but breakaway organisations are fighting to keep it in.
Key Dates
Boxing begins on July 27 and ends on August 10, the day before the Closing Ceremony. The final five days of competition, including the gold medal match, will be held at the famous Roland Garros tennis stadium.
Reigning Champion
Men's Flyweight: Galal Yafai (UK).
Men's Featherweight: Albert Batyrgadiyev (ROC)
Men's Lightweight: Andy Cruz (Cuba)
Men's Welterweight: Roniel Iglesias (Cuba)
Men's light heavyweight: Arlen Lopez (Cuba)
Men's Heavyweight: Julio Cesar La Cruz (Cuba)
Men's super heavyweight: Bakhodyr Yarolov (Uzbekistan)
Women's Flyweight: Stoica Krasteva (Bulgaria)
Women's Bantamweight: A new category.
Women's Featherweight: Sena Irie (Japan)
Women's Lightweight: Kelly Harrington (Ireland)
Women's Welterweight: Busenaz Surmeneli (Türkiye)
Women's Middleweight: Lauren Price (GB)
