Rivals Yasmine Mouttaki of Morocco and Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam (pictured) will meet for the fifth time. By John Nene
The two-star boxers won their light-flyweight quarter-final bouts in the ongoing African Games on Sunday (March 17) to qualify for the semi-finals.
Mouttaki, world championships bronze medallist and Africa champion put up a dominant display to beat Ghana’s Ramatu Quaye 5-0. While two-time Africa champion Boualam won by a similar points score over DR Congo’s Benedicte Diyoka.
Mouttaki will be all out to avenge her teammate Rabab Cheddar, who has lost twice to Boualam at the 2022 and 2023 Africa Championships light-flyweight finals.
Cheddar, now boxing at flyweight, moved to the semi-finals with a convincing points victory over Africa champion Cameroon’s Reine Ngoune, who lost 5-0 in Accra.
Ethiopia’s Bethlehem Gayiza outpointed Algeria’s Miloudi Souha 5-0,
with Tanzania’s Zulfa Macho bowing out of the competition. Zulfa was outpointed by African silver medallist Muamba Nyembo of DR Congo.
Gayiza will now meet Nyembo in the semis while Cheddar battles Tunisia’s Jlassic Chadha, who stopped 18-year-old Ghana’s senior high school student Adelaide Djabatey in the third round. She was making her international debut.
GHANA’S UPDATE
Ghana entered 16 boxers in the African Games, and so far. Six have been eliminated, and 10 are still in contention for gold, silver, and bronze medals. Ghana is desperate to win the overall team title for the first time.
After Day 3, this is how Ghana is fairing:
Semi-finals (4)
1. JANET ACQUAH(Minimum weight -48Kg)
2. MOHAMMED ARYEETEY(Minimumweight -48Kg
3. THEOPHILUS KPAKPO ALLOTEY (Flyweight -51kg)
4. ABUBAKAR KAMOKO(Cruiserweight -86Kg)
Quarter-finals(6)
1. AMADU MOHAMMED(Bantamweight -54Kg)
2. ABDUL WALIB OMAR(Featherweight -57Kg)
3. JOSEPH COMMEY(Lightweight -60Kg)
4. SAMUEL TAKYI(Light Welterweight -63.5Kg)
5. HENRY MALM(Light Middleweight -71Kg)
6. DANIEL PLANGE(Heavyweight -92Kg)
Those Out:
Ramatu Quaye, Adelaide Djabartey, Sarah Apew, Alfred Kotey, Abdul Baki Adam Jonathan Tetteh
