▪️Only two Moroccan boxers, two-time African champion Yasmine Mouttaki and Wissal Fakhit have won their fights
▪️The results so far show four African countries Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya are in Brazil for the World Boxing Cup
April 22, 2026
The dreams of 13 African boxers died on Brazilian canvas in the opening stages of the World Boxing Cup in Foz Do Iguaca, Brazil.
They arrived in South America representing the grit of their respective nations, but have been left with the heavy lessons of elite global competition.
The tournament, aimed at testing the world’s best, turned into a harsh reality check for the African hopefuls.
The tactical superiority of seasoned European and South American fighters left little room for error. One by one, the African pugilists were forced to succumb to judges’ decisions or forced stoppages, their journey ending far earlier than anticipated.
Only two African boxers – all Moroccans – have chalked up victories in the first two days, April 20 and April 21, 2026.
The two all Moroccan winners are two-time African champion flyweight Yasmine Mouttaki (pictured) and minimumweight Wissal Fakhir who stopped Tunisia’s Wafa Hafsi in the third round while Mouttaki, world bronze medallist in 2023, was on top her game beating Mexico’s Valeria Ameparan.
The 13 boxers eliminated are lightweight Imad Azoui, middleweight Mounia Toutire, light-middleweight Reda Enniche, bantamweight Othman Chadghour and light-welterweight Ellalouva Mohamed all of them from Morocco..
Others are light-heavyweight Youssef Rafrafi,minimumweight Wafa Hafsi, featherweight Islem Ferchichi, flyweight Nour El Houda, light-welterweight Hussein Atia all Tunisians, Egypt’s light-heavyweight Fares Elsharkam, Libyans heavyweight Adim Adel and light-welterweight Salah Aldeen.
The results highlight the glaring, urgent need for more high-profile international exposure and specialized coaching in the technical nuances of the sport in Africa.
There will be no medals for the 13 boxers. Yet, in the silent, empty changing rooms of Brazil, the groundwork for the next generation was laid. They came as hopefuls, and they return as battle-hardened carrying the bitter taste of defeat that, for some, will fuel a fire for a stronger, smarter comeback.
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