Paris 2024 Olympics: Refugee boxer Omad Ahmadisafa narrowly loses to Roscoe Hill in 51kg preliminary
Omad Ahmadisafa of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team narrowly lost a breathless bout to USA’s Roscoe Hill in the 51kg boxing preliminary round on Sunday (28 July) at Paris 2024.
The fight went down to the wire, but Hill was able to win the final round on all five cards to advance to the last 16.
It spelled the end of the Paris 2024 journey for Ahmadisafa, a former kickboxing world champion who trains in Germany.
How Omad Ahmadisafa narrowly lost 51kg fight
Ahmadisafa, 31, initially took up kickboxing after getting into brawls as a teenager, and only started boxing after an injury prevented him from kicking for five months.
He adapted perfectly to the transition, and after seeking asylum in Germany in 2021, he was named as one of two boxers on the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024.
In Hill, Ahmadisafa faced a 2021 World Championship silver medallist, but he was not daunted by the task.
Their bout was the first on Sunday morning inside a raucous North Paris Arena, and while 29-year-old Hill bounced into the arena, once the first bell rang it was Ahmadisafa who made the more aggressive start, going for more punches early on.
A thrilling first three minutes saw Ahmadisafa catch Hill on a few occasions, but it was the former U.S. junior champion who landed the cleaner shots and took the first round on all five cards.
Undeterred, Ahmadisafa remained on the front foot as he took the bout to Hill, and for his efforts he scored 10-9 with three of the five judges in the second round to keep his hopes alive.
That meant the bout was tied on three cards, but trailing on the other two, Ahmadisafa knew he needed a near perfect final round.
In the end, though, it was Hill’s quality that shone through to reach the last 16, while Ahmadisafa bowed out after a gutsy performance fell just short.