Boxing 1st World Qualification Tournament 2024: Team GB's Kiaran MacDonald leans on experience to find win
As MacDonald tries to secure a quota for Great Britain in boxing, he finds his past losses help him now. Find out how he and other boxers did in Busto Arsizio on Wednesday (6 March)
Boxing
British boxer Kiaran MacDonald lost in the European Championships, resulting in a bronze in 2023, and silver in 2022. But those losses helped him learn to be a better boxer, and helped him find a win at the Paris 2024 Boxing World Qualifier Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy on Wednesday (6 March.) He beat Ortega Al Jaleel Jokhu from Trinidad and Tobago in a third-round referee’s stoppage.
“I picked up a lot of experience on the way. I missed out on qualification in the European Games and in the semifinal bout, and I was one win away from qualifying. So to come, have such a great event and I am trying to put it all on the line and get a ticket for Paris,” MacDonald said to Olympics.com.
MacDonald won his first bout in the tournament on Sunday, taking 3-2 win by points over Hungary’s Istvan Szaka. Getting these two wins out of the way has helped him stay focused for the tournament, which runs through Monday (11 March.)
"I'm through my second bout of the tournament now, so I've got a bit momentum going in the way to get a ticket for Paris, not just one or two wins. Have to get two more. There's lots of great competitors there in the weight division. But I believe in myself and that's all. I'm going to give a hundred percent every time I step between the ropes,” he said.
- As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
- Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
The Philippines' Rogen Ladon lands knockout
In other 51-kg action in Busto Arsizio, Filipino boxer Rogen Ladon knocked out Morocco’s Said Mortaji in the second round. Inkyu Kim, representing the Republic of Korea, won by referee stoppage in the third round over Cabo Verde’s David de Pina. Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibissoinov, a bronze medalist at the 2020 Olympic Games, beat David Karanja Macharia from Kenya in a 5-0 win by points.
At 92 kg, 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Aibek Oralbay from Kazakhstan beat India’s Sanjeet Sanjeet in a 5-0 win by points. France’s Soheb Bouafia won by points, 5-0, over Canada’s Bryan Colwell.
The 92+ kg weight class rounded out the evening session with China’s Danabieke Bayikewuzi winning in a referee stoppage in the first round over Rustem Mammedov from Turkmenistan. Cuba’s Fernando Arzola also managed a first-round referee stoppage win against Senegal’s Diega Barde.