Algeria’s national boxing team won their first medal when men’s minimumweight Kamel Khennousi received a bye to the semi-finals of the Strandja Memorial tournament which starts today in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The Algerian boxer will take on India’s Barun Shagolshem in the semi-finals. Win or lose Algeria is already assured of a medal in this weight category.
In last year’s Strandja Memorial, Algeria scooped two bronze medals through minimumweight Fatiha Mansouri and two-time Africa light-flyweight champion Roymaysa Boualam whose name does not appear in the officials draw sheet released by the organisers.
Mansouri, twice silver medallist in the Africa Championships, is one of the four Algerian female boxers officially listed in the entry check list. She fights Wassila LKhadiri of France in the pre-quarters on Monday, February 5.
The other female Algerian boxers taking part in the Strandja Memorial are Africa Championships bantamweight silver medallist Fatma Zohra,
Africa lightweight champion Khelif Hadjila (pictured) and featherweight Chahira Selmouni who takes on India’s Sakshi Sakshi, Khelif meets Bulgaria’s Aslahan Mehmedova and Zohra battles Poland’s Sandra Drabik, all bouts pre-quarters taking place on Monday, February 5.
Three Algerian boxers are in action in today’s (February 4) pre-quarters schedule. The first one in the ring is bantamweight Khalil Litim who meets Georgia’s Gor Ayvazyan, lightweight Oussama Mordjane battles Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov while welterweight Abdenacer Benlaribi trades leather with Georgia’s Givi Todua.
Algerian middleweight Abderaouf Ghazli Ahmed received a bye to the quarter-finals, and will meet the winner of the pre-quarters bout between Bulgaria’s Miroslav Dimitrov and Ukraine’s Viacheslav Bryhadenko.
The official entry check list shows Algeria is represented by 13 boxers – nine men and four women.
A total of 261 boxers from 28 countries are taking part in the Strandja Memorial, Europe’s most prestigious boxing event and the oldest tournament which started in 1950. Uzbekistan are the defending champions.
Credit: AFBC Communications
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