A strong team of six boxers have been selected to represent Sierra Leone in the Africa Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships in DR Congo’s capital city, Kinshasa from October 14-27.
Sierra Leone Boxing Association Communication Director, Alhaji Koroma said merit has been the key in picking the six boxers to do duty for the West African country.
Leading the medal hunt is Canada-based Sara Haghighat (pictured) who made history in the 2022 Africa Championships in Maputo by winning bantamweight gold which was also the country’s first ever medal in the premier African boxing event.
She outpointed fancied Moroccan Widad Bertal 3-2 in the finals but her hopes of excelling in the African Games this year were cut shot by Nigeria’s silver medallist Kareem Shukura in the quarter-finals.
Irish national champion last year at lightweight, Josefina Angel Betis, who is also the European U-20 bronze medallist, is in the team as a featherweight hoping to make up for her disappointment in the African Games in Accra where she was beaten in the quarter-finals by bronze medallist, Azza Nahdi of Tunisia.
Featherweight Wisdom Barnor is also aiming to improve on his Accra performance where he lost in the round of 16 to Botswana’s Sekwaipe Mmoloki.
“As usual we’re blending our well exposed overseas boxers with roots in Sierra Leone and our homegrown talent to do well in Kinshasa,” said Koroma who is looking forward to a better performance than at the African Games.
The Sierra Leone team:
Sara Haghighat-Joo 54 kg
Josefina Angel Betis 57 kg
Christian Thomas 71 kg
Desmond Cole 80 kg
Anorld Alex koroma 54kg
Wisdom Barnor 57 kg
Credit: AFBC Communications
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