Defending champions Morocco (pictured) and DR Congo have intensified their battle for major honours in the ongoing Africa Elite Boxing Championships in Kinshasa.
While Morocco have 13 boxers in the semis so far, DR Congo are on top with 14 in the last four. Both countries have two boxers each in the finals courtesy of byes during the draws.
The 14 – six men and eight women – DR Congo boxers in the semis are light-flyweight Zola Tulembekwa, super-heavyweight Apanu Anyisa, bantamweight Bakora Kalongo, cruiserweight Pita Kabeji, flyweight Nyembo Gisele, welterweight Masuasua Ilunga, middleweight David Tshama, minimumweight Benedicte Diyoka, light-flyweight Carine Nkelani, flyweight Nyembo Gisele, light-welterweight Merveille Mbalayi, light-middleweight Sarah Enduwa, middleweight Grace Tshibalala, light-heavyweight Marie-Joelle Mwika and heavyweight Sila Tshimwanga.
The two DR Congo boxers already in the finals are featherweight Ruth Yanfu and Mandela Cup welterweight champion Brigitte Mbabi.
In today’s quarter-finals, DR Congo have seven boxers in action namely flyweight Kabamga Ilunga vs Angola’s Miguel Kembo, featherweight Badianyama Badibanga vs Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale, light-welterweight Malenga Zengala vs Morocco’s Alloua Mohamed, light-middleweight Anderson Manzongo vs Kenya’s Boniface Mogunde, light-heavyweight Nathan Mbeli vs Congo’s Reche Odzoua, heavyweight Landry Matete vs Cameroon’s Javier Tamba and bantamweight Merveille Bisambu vs Zulfa Macho.
The 13 Moroccan boxers – five men and eight women – already in the semi-finals are light-flyweight Hamza Essaadi, lightweight Zouhair Fadel who’ll fight Ethiopia’s Abubeker Redwan in the semis, welterweight Abdulhaq Nadir, middleweight Yassine El Ouarz, cruiserweight Ahmed Badrani, minimumweight Hafsa El Harouad, light-flyweight Yasmine Mouttaki, flyweight Rabab Cheddar, featherweight Fatima Azim, light-welterweight Douaa Zaki, welterweight Toutir Mounir, light-middleweight Saida Lahmidi and world heavyweight champion Khadija Mardi who will take on DR Congo’s Sila Tshimwanga in the semis.
The two female Moroccan boxers who have received byes to the finals are middleweight Noura Mesmaoui and light-heavyweight Hasna Larti.
Five Moroccan boxers are in today’s quarter-finals. They are defending female bantamweight champion Widad Bertal, light-heavyweight Yassir Rigui who fights Kenya’s Robert Okaka, flyweight Issam Bendayar vs South Africa’s Lubabalo Lusizi, featherweight Imad Azoui vs Angola’s Segunda Ernesto and Mohamed El Allova vs DR Congo’s Malenga Zengala.
Credit: AFBC Communications
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