Boxing: Aiba African Continental Olympic qualifying event |14 March 2016

Allisop, Agnes, Jean reach quarterfinals

• Jean could be written off with shoulder injury

Seychellois boxers Jovette Jean, Keddy Agnes and Andrique Allisop are in the quarterfinals of their respective categories at the ongoing International Boxing Association (Aiba) African Continental Olympic qualifying event in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Jean was first in the ring on day one – Friday – and fighting in the red corner he got off to an ideal start at the Paposy boxing venue in Cameroon’s capital city by earning a 3-0 unanimous points win against Cape Verde's Lopes Borges in his under-81kg light heavyweight division fight. All three judges gave Agnes the verdict 29:28.

Jean will next meet Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the quarterfinals on Tuesday evening and a win will push him into the semifinals where he will contest for a medal in the 14-fighter 81kg class.

But it is not clear if Jean could step in the ring tomorrow as Sports Nation learned on Saturday night that he could be written off after his old shoulder injury resurfaced. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance on Friday night to get X-rays for his shoulder.

As for Andrique Allisop, the fourth seed of the 60kg lightweight category, he powered into the quarterfinals by winning against Demosthene Roguea of the Central African Republic on day two – Saturday.

He brushed aside the challenge of Roguea to triumph via a unanimous 3-0 points decision from the judges.

His quarterfinal fight is tomorrow afternoon in the lightweight category which comprises 18 boxers.

Seeded number two and in the bottom half of the draw comprising 12 boxers, Keddy Agnes received a bye straight into the quarterfinals of the +91kg super heavyweight division and his opponent for this afternoon’s fight is Nigerian Efe Ajagba who beat Ugandan Michael Sekabembe 3-0 (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) in the preliminaries on Saturday night.

Agnes has fought Ajagba before and lost 0-3 in the final of the All-Africa Games last year in Congo Brazzaville to settle for a silver medal.

The category’s number one seed is Moroccan Mohammed Arjaoui and he also received a bye and will be in action today against either Algerian Mohamed Grimes or Congolese Ardi Da-Slyvia NDembo.

Accompanying the three boxers who are seeking Rio Olympic Games qualifications in the Cameroonian capital from March 11-19 are Seychelles Boxing Federation chairman Hervey Anthony, and coaches Gerry Legras and Rival Payet.

A record number of 272 boxers including professionals from 39 countries registered for the event and are vying for the 36 qualification places – 30 slots for men and the remaining for women – on offer for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The three boxers in each category who will make it to Rio are the winners and runners-up along with the winners of the bouts involving the losing semifinalists.

The 10 weight categories are light flyweight (49kg), flyweight (52kg), bantamweight (56kg), lightweight (60kg), light welterweight (64kg), welterweight (69kg), middleweight (75kg), light heavyweight (81kg), heavyweight (91kg) and super heavyweight (+91kg).

Three female boxers for Africa in the flyweight (51kg), lightweight (60kg) and middleweight (75) categories will also qualify for Rio.

There will be a total of 286 boxers fighting for gold and glory in the men’s and women’s events from August 6-21, 2016 at the second pavillon of Riocentro, Rio at this year’s Olympic Games.

The continent’s best male and female boxers will be vying for the 36 qualification places – 30 slots for men and the remaining for women – on offer for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Moroccan welterweight Mohammed Rabii, the World Series of Boxing (WSB) boxer of the year for 2015, and four other athletes from the continent have already qualified.

Besides Rabii, Morocco’s Achraf Kharroubi, Algerians Abdelkader Chadi and Ilyas Abbadi, and Egypt’s Hosam Abdin are also assured of their places at the Rio 2016 Games.

Speaking about the ongoing qualifiers, Aiba president C. K. Wu said: “The African continent’s boxers continue to show their prowess and strength at Aiba boxing events, as highlighted by Morocco’s Mohammed Rabii who was crowned the first African Aina world champion in Doha in 2015.”

“With a record number of entries and 36 slots available to the men and women in Yaoundé, this tournament is a key route to Rio 2016 Olympic Games and I am looking forward to an intense competition for the coveted places,” added Mr Wu.

G. G.