Five inspiring storylines to follow at the 2024 Boxing 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio
With 49 quotas on the line, the upcoming Olympic boxing qualifier will see dreams fulfilled - and others shattered - as boxers from around the world fight for a spot at Paris 2024. While each athlete's end goal may be the same, they have all had different journeys on their quest for Olympic glory.
Boxing
Behind every aspiring Olympian, there is a story worth telling.
At boxing's 1st World Qualification Tournament, which takes place in Busto Arsizio, Italy from 3-11 March, over 600 boxers will compete for one of 49 available Olympic quotas as they attempt to write a fairytale chapter in their Paris 2024 journeys.
Every one of the boxers competing has endured years of gruelling and painful training in pursuit of their dreams. Many of them have lived lives that will inspire future generations of athletes. And some have backstories that showcase the inner strength required to overcome great odds while attempting to become an Olympian.
From a once-homeless boxer aiming for her second Olympic Games to a resilient member of the Boxing Refugee Team who has switched sports to fight for a place at the Olympics, here are five storylines to follow at the upcoming Olympic boxing qualifier in Italy.
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.
Naomi Graham, once homeless, aims for her second Olympics
Not much of Naomi Graham’s path to elite boxing has been easy. She dealt with homelessness for a brief period in her early twenties before following her mother’s footsteps into the U.S. Army and eventually making it to the boxing ring.
But while life was often hard, Graham wants her story to be an inspiration to others.
"I know I just want to motivate other people and let them know that you can be anything that you want to be," she said in an interview with The Fayetteville Observer. "You can come from the bottom and rise to the top, if you put your mind to it.”
Nowadays, Graham balances being an ammunitions specialist in the U.S. Army with training in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program. She competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the United States, taking ninth in her weight class. Now, she is hoping to qualify for Paris 2024 in the 75 kg weight class at the World Qualification Tournament in Italy.
"It's really hard for people to make it one time. So, it's even smaller chances of making it the second time, and for me, this is a second chance to redeem myself because now I know what to expect versus the first time,” she said in an October interview with USA Boxing.
France’s Emilie Sonvico represents her country in the gendarmerie, and now wants to do it in the boxing ring
Like Graham, France’s Emilie Sonvico, fighting at 66 kg, works for her country’s military. She’s an investigator with the gendarmerie, and followed in her father’s footsteps in serving her country. Three years ago, she failed to make it to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and then has dealt with knee injuries while training since then.
At the European Games, she lost a tight decision to Belgium’s Oshin Derieuw, but has continued to focus on training with the hope that she can box in front of a home crowd at the Olympics. In Busto Arsizio, she will look to obtain a quota for the country she loves to represent.
Mexico’s boxing twins Ari and Andrey Bonilla can each obtain a quota
Boxing is often a family affair, and that’s especially true for twins Ari and Andrey Bonilla, who will both try to obtain Olympic quotas for Mexico in Busto Arsizio. Ari Bonilla, fighting at 51 kg, took bronze at the BoxAm Elite event in Spain earlier this year. Andrey Bonilla, fighting just one weight class above his twin at 57 kg, won a silver at the same tournament. They will fight not just to obtain an Olympic quota for Mexico, but also for family pride. Just imagine the holiday card their family will get to send out if they can both earn spots in the Olympics.
Omid Ahmadisafa aims to win for the Refugee team
Omid Ahmadisafa already had a career in kickboxing for Islamic Republic of Iran, winning world medals in the sport. In 2021, he was forced to leave Iran and settle in Germany. Now, boxing has become his sport as he tries to obtain a quota for the Boxing Refugee Team.
In August 2023, Ahmadisafa was awarded a scholarship for training through the Olympic Refugee Foundation, and he has continued his training in Germany. Fighting at 51 kg, he made waves at the World Cup in Cologne in October, beating England’s Kiaran MacDonald, who won silver at the European Championships in 2022. In the semifinals, Ahmadisafa lost a majority decision to Germany’s Salah Ibrahim, the eventual champion, but he showed he can compete with some of boxing's best, and he will try to do it again next week.
Citlalli Ortiz wants to help Mexico return to boxing's elite
Born in the United States, Citlalli Ortiz started her career fighting for Team USA. She even won a World Youth Championship in 2017 for the U.S.
Ortiz is trained by her father, who she begged to let her try boxing when she was young. He often spoke to her about Mexico, his home country, and its proud boxing history, but that it needed some help to return to its former glory.
Mexico has 26 Olympic medals in boxing, its second-most awarded sport, but only two of those medals have come in the 21st century. Being a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, Ortiz decided to box for Mexico. She won a memorable bout over Graham at the 2023 Pan American Games, but lost in the semifinals. Ortiz is fighting in Busto Arizio at 75 kg in the hopes of obtaining a Paris 2024 quota for Mexico and aiming for a quota in Paris.