By Jake Donovan
Sunday afternoon will prove to be history in the making for the 2012 London Games, as women’s boxing makes its long awaited debut as an official Olympic Sport.
The entire afternoon session (1:30PM local time/7:30AM ET) is dedicated to the ladies, with the men’s regionals not taking place until later this evening.
FLY GIRLS START IT OFF
The flyweight division kicks things off for the fighting females, with four bouts in the Round of 16. Both the United States and Great Britain have byes in the division, as Marlen Esparza (USA) and Nicola Adams don’t appear until Monday afternoon in the quarterfinals.
Three-time world amateur champion Ren Cancan of China is the favorite to win the Gold medal in this division. Her first appearance will come Monday against the winner of this afternoon’s first bout.
Round of 16 Matchups (Sunday, August 5):
Elena Savelyeva (Russia) vs. Kim-Hye Song (North Korea)
Erica Matos (Brazil) vs. Karlha Magliocco (Venezuela)
Karolina Michalczuk (Poland) vs. Mary Kom (India)
Stoyka Petrova (Bulgaria) vs. Sion Fernandes (New Zealand)
Flyweight Quarterfinals (Monday, August 6):
Ren Cancan (China) vs. Bout 1 winner
Marlen Esparza (USA) vs. Bout 2 winner
Maroua Rahouli (Tunisia) vs. Bout 3 winner
Nicola Adams (Great Britain) vs. Bout 4 winner
LIGHTWEIGHT: THE QUEEN AND HER COURT
Quanitta “Queen” Underwood gets to make history as the first female boxer from the United States to officially fight in an Olympic boxing match. That moment comes at approximately 2:30PM local time (8:30AM ET) on Sunday.
That’s the good news. The bad news – at least at it pertains to this year’s competition – is that her opening round draw is against the house fighter.
Waiting in the opposite corner is Natasha Jonas of Great Britain. Like her opponent, Jonas also serves as a pioneer for women’s boxing in her nation. Teammates Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall both received opening round byes, making it fitting that the lightweight becomes the first Brit to be judged in the Olympics, as she was also the first to qualify for the squad.
Even more pressure is added for both fighters, as the winner is paired up against Katie Taylor of Ireland in the quarterfinals on Monday afternoon. Taylor is a four-time World Amateur champion and the odds-on favorite to storm through the 12-woman field en route to Olympic Gold.
Round of 16 Matchups (Sunday, August 5):
Quanitta Underwood (USA) vs. Natasha Jonas (Ireland)
Cheng Dong (China) vs. Mihaela Lacatus (Romania)
Saida Khassenova (Kazakhstan) vs. Adriana Araujo (Brazil)
Alexis Pritchard (New Zealand) vs. Rim Jouini (Tunisia)
Flyweight Quarterfinals (Monday, August 6):
Katie Taylor (Ireland) vs. Bout 1 winner
Mavzuna Chorieva (Tajikistan) vs. Bout 2 winner
Mahjouba Oubtil (Morocco) vs. Bout 3 winner
Sofya Ochigava (Russia) vs. Bout 4 winner
MIDDLEWEIGHT: YOUNG LION PREPARES FOR OLD AVERSARIES
The eight participants in the Round of 16 in middleweight competition have a daunting task in front of them. Not only do they have to win to move on to the quarterfinals, but still have to survive the boxing equivalent of Murderer’s Row in order to advance any further.
As is the case in the flyweight division, boxing fans from the United States and from the hosting nation of the 2012 London Games will have to wait until Monday to get a first glimpse at its middleweight representatives.
At 17 years of age, Claressa Shields is the youngest of the 36 females participating in the 2012 Games and also the youngest U.S. Olympic boxer in 40 years. The high school senior has lost just once in her six-year amateur career. The lone defeat came against Great Britain’s Savannah Marshall, the defending World amateur champion and the current top seed in the middleweight division.
Wins by both in the quarterfinals could set up a rematch in the medal round. Possibly awaiting the winner will be Canada’s Mary Spencer. The former three-time world champion was tabbed at the start of Olympic competition as the best bet for Canada to secure its first boxing medal since 1996.
Round of 16 Matchups (Sunday, August 5):
Marina Volnova (Kazakhstan) vs. Elizabeth Andiego (Kenya)
Anna Laurel (Sweden) vs. Naomi Fischer-Rasmussen (Australia)
Roseli Feitosa (Brazil) vs. Jinzi Li (China)
Elena Vystropova (Azerbaijan) vs. Edith Ogoke (Nigeria)
Middleweight Quarterfinals (Monday, August 6):
Savannah Marshall (Great Britain) vs. Bout 1 winner
Claressa Shields (USA) vs. Bout 2 winner
Mary Spencer (Canada) vs. Bout 3 winner
Nadezda Torlopova (Russia) vs. Bout 4 winner
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter:
@JakeNDaBox
