Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha steps up with a powerful display of Lightweight boxing on Day Four’s evening session at Rio 2016
August 10th, 2016 / IBA
Mongolia’s winner of the Asia and Oceania Qualification Event Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu faced Netherlands’ World Qualifier winner Enrico Lacruz in the first Lightweight (60kg) bout of the afternoon session. Lacruz edged the first round but Dorjnyambuu came back with an impressive finish that had the young Dutch boxer left applauding his opponent’s tenacity as the judges awarded the Mogolian the decision.
Russia’s Adlan Abdurashidov proved an elusive target for sixth-seed Reda Benbaziz throughout much of their bout as both boxers struggled to find a rhythm, but the Algerian’s attacking instincts eventually brought him a deserved place in the last eight on Friday evening.
Two explosive boxers then entered the ring, with France’s Sofiane Oumiha and Thailand’s Amnat Ruenrog desperate for a Quarter-Final slot and a shot at an Olympic medal. Ruenrog began the brighter, but Oumiha grew in confidence and after the Thai received two referee counts in the second, the bout was eventually halted midway through the third and Oumiha was through.
The Lightweight Quarter-Final line-up was complete when Azerbaijan’s hugely experienced former World Champion Albert Selimov came through his tie against Irelands’s David Joyce. After a subdued opening three minutes, Joyce had to come out firing in the second and his rapid combinations brought some success, but Selimov exploited the resulting openings in the Irishman’s defences to earn a decisive victory and send out a serious claim on the Olympic gold.
Scoring punches may have been few and far between, but it was a gripping encounter that played out between the first Middleweights (75kg) of the afternoon, Maurician Mervin Clair and Egypt’s Hosam Abdin. The pair feinted and flinched their ways out of trouble time and again, but it was the tenacious Egyptian who eventually stalked his way into the second round. A battling performance from India’s Krishan Vikas then saw him successfully negotiate a testing tie with American Charles Conwell.
Benny Muziyo’s long reach caused Turkey’s Onur Sipal a few problems early on, and as the experienced Turk got in close to score, Muziyo had him on the canvas at the end of the second round. The third round belonged to Sipal, however, and he powered in to the last 16 with some big-scoring combinations. Australian Daniel Lewis then became the last name in the second round of the Middleweight competition, as he overcame Poland’s tough Tomasz Jablonski.
Azerbaijan’s 2012 Olympic Super Heavyweight (+91kg) bronze medallist Majidov Mahammadrasul and Morocco’s Mohammed Arjaoui were the last men into the ring on Tuesday, and it was a typically controlled performance from the Azeri double World Champion. Winning all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards, Mahammadrasul’s triumph earned him a place in the last sixteen against fellow London 2012 bronze medallist, Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko.
