World champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mohammed Rabii from Morocco advanced to the final of the AFBC African Boxing Championships in the men’s 75kg weight category. In the semi-finals, he celebrated a victory against Moro Diarra from Mali. 

Diarra was not afraid of his decorated rival and went ahead with attacks, but Rabii threw a series of precise punches toward him and made the referee count. In the second round, the Moroccan was able to make another strong series that made the Mali boxer unbalanced, and the referee stopped the contest. Rabii won and in the final, he is to meet with David Tshama from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese won unanimously being impressive in his punches at the end of the third round when his opponent was forced to clinch to avoid these powerful attacks.  

Fatiha Mansouri from Algeria and Yasmine Mouttaki from Morocco became the first finalists of the tournament in the women’s 48kg division. The fight between these boxers will be an interesting one, as both of them have counter-attacking style and usually wait for the rival’s attacks. In the finals, one of them would have to change the tactics completely to be able to overcome an opponent. 

Moroccan Rabab Cheddar had no issues in her fight against the boxer from South Africa Thandolwethu Truelove Mathiba and scored her win unanimously. The final will be very promising, as her rival Roumaysa Boualam from Algeria is a defending African champion in this category.  

A boxer from DR Congo proceeded to the final in women’s 52kg, as Gisle Nyembo Muamba finished her semi-final bout against Grace Nanlinga from Uganda in the first round. The Congolese boxer threw so many punches that the referee was forced to count her rival three times and then stopped the contest. Nyembo celebrated her success with a dance. She is to box in the final against Laure Ngoune Reine from Cameroon who won against Burundi’s Liliane Nshimirimana by a unanimous decision.  

Moroccan Widad Bertal had a clear victory against Regina Macaringue from Mozambique in women’s 54kg. Algerian Fatma Abdelkader celebrated a victory over athletic Kenyan boxer Amina Martha Faki. Abdelkader felt confident even being pressed to the ropes and was more precise in their exchanges which brought her a victory by a split decision of 3:1. Bertal to face Abdelkader in the finals on Saturday.  

In the women’s 57kg category, Hlimi Khouloud from Tunisia managed to win with confidence against her much taller opponent Stephane Mambou Dorine from Cameroon. In the final, Khouloud is to be challenged by a tall rival again as Marcelat Sakobi Matshu from DR Congo eliminated Nouhaila Hlioui from Morocco by RCS in the second round. 

Hadjila Khelif from Algeria dominated the semi-final fight managing to fight on a longer distance and celebrated a unanimous victory over Nisrine Amine from Morocco in women’s 60kg. DR Congo’s Mervieille Mbalayi created a lot of pressure and finished her fight against Sagar Sy from Senegal in the second round after several standing counts to her rival. The two winners, Khelif and Mbalayi are to face each other for a 60kg gold medal fight. 

In men’s 48kg, Marcial Wouang from Cameroon and Yassine Issufo from Mozambique were both impressive in their exchanges, but Wouang managed to win because he controlled the distance better. In another semi-final of the category, South African southpaw Lubabalo Lusizi showed his powerful punches against Livens Tulembekwa Zola from DR Congo, and the referee stopped the contest in the middle of the second round.  

Franck Mombey from Gabon became the finalist in 54kg with his impressive victory over uneasy rival Mamadou Sow Pape from Senegal. Mombey won thanks to his better boxing technique, timing, and footwork, he dominated more episodes and enjoyed the well-deserved victory. In the finals, he is to face Imad Azuoi from Morocco who won by walkover. 

Wasswa Ssali Amiri from Uganda delivered one of the most exciting bouts of the evening in men’s 60kg. Following a standing count in the first round, he managed to come back and turned the tide of the fight against DR Congo’s Idriss Kitangila Mweba. The strong character allowed the boxer from Uganda to celebrate a split decision win 3:1. Sanele Sogcwayi from South Africa became his rival in the final following his victory over Saiefeddiene Ayari from Tunisia.  

In the 67kg division, Boniface Zengala from DR Congo won in a competitive fight against Matovu Ukasha from Uganda. Despite the constant pressure from Ukasha, Zengala managed to defend efficiently and throw the punches from various angles that brought him success by a split decision 4:1. Delfina Marime from Mozambique controlled the center of the ring and pushed the rival back to the ropes, as a result, Marime eliminated Cameroon’s Messi Elime Jean Junior by a unanimous decision.   

In the last fight of the day in 92kg, Karamba Kebe from Senegal demonstrated his fighting spirit by performing counter-attacks timely, so the referee counted his rival William Mbangi Mukiena from DR Congo twice. He won by a split decision of 4:1 and is facing Adams Olaore from Nigeria who won against Peter Alwanga from Kenya. 

The second part of the semi-finals is scheduled for today in Yaoundé, check the page of the AFBC African Boxing Championships for more details. 

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