Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier: Preview, full schedule and how to watch Olympic qualifying tournament in Dakar
Viral sensation Seth Gyimah, aka Freezy MacBones, will represent Ghana in the Senegalese capital with 18 Olympic quota spots up for grabs from 9-15 September.
Boxing
The Boxing Africa Qualifier for Paris 2024 takes place in the Dakar Arena from 9-15 September with 18 Olympic quota spots at stake.
Since Tokyo 2020, the number of men's weight classes has been reduced by one to seven with the women's increased by one to six.
In the Africa qualifier, there is just one men's quota berth available in each of the seven classes, with two quota spots up for grabs in each women's weight class in Dakar apart from there being just one in the 75kg division.
This is the second qualifier for Paris after June's European Games which saw 44 boxers obtain quota places for their National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
For boxers who fail to earn quota spots in Dakar, there will be a further opportunities at the two world qualification tournaments in Busto Arzizio, Italy from 29 February to 12 March and Bangkok, Thailand from 23 May to 3 June.
As NOCs have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation.
Read on for all you need to know about the Boxing Africa Qualifier, including schedule, and how to watch the action live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
'Freezy MacBones' hopes to earn Paris spot for Ghana
Africa's sole boxing medal at Tokyo 2020 came courtesy of Ghana's Samuel Takyi who won men's featherweight (57kg) bronze.
Takyi has put his professional career on hold to bid for gold in the French capital next year, but was dropped from the team for Dakar after the Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation claimed he made financial and other demands.
Rio 2016 Olympian Abdul Wahid Omar has been named for the Black Bombers at 57kg.
Also in the squad is British-based Seth Gyimah, aka Freezy MacBones, who has become a social media sensation.
After arriving in London from Ghana in 2012, Gyimah took up amateur boxing and a video of him knocking out a sparring partner some 30kg heavier than him was shared by boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr and rapper 50 Cent.
He told TalkSport in April, "I don’t back off, I always keep going for it and Freezy came out and then that happened. I have two people in me, I’m very kind and I’m very dangerous at the same time in terms of boxing.
"If someone tries to hit me it switches me on and it brings Freezy out, but when I’m not in the ring, I’m Seth and everyone chills with me and laughs."
Having worn shorts bearing the flags of both Britain and Ghana in his previous bouts, Gyimah - who works as a chef - was invited to represent his homeland and will box at 80kg in Dakar.
And he is already making an impression on his new teammates.
Moroccan boxers aim to maintain superiority
At last month's African Boxing Championships in Yaounde, Morocco topped the medal table with eight golds, two silvers and three bronze medals.
DR Congo won five titles with Algeria next on four and Cameroon, Mozambique and South Africa claiming two apiece.
North African boxers dominated the Olympic women's classes in the Cameroonian capital with Algeria's Roumaysa Boualam (50kg) and Morocco's Oumayma Bel Ahbib (66kg) among those taking victory and tipped to add to their Tokyo 2020 appearances.
Mozambique's Rady Gramane, who won her opening bout in Tokyo, was the only athlete from outside of North Africa to win gold in an Olympic weight class at 75kg.
But DR Congo's Marie Joelle Mwika took the 81kg title by beating Morocco's Khadija Mardi in the final, and both women will drop down to 75kg to try to earn the one quota spot up for grabs.
Among the Moroccan men is Rio 2016 69kg bronze medallist Mohamed Rabii who won the African title at 75kg.
With that class having been dropped from the Olympic programme, the 30-year-old will bid to earn a quota spot at 71kg.
Teammate Mohamed Assaghir, who won the most memorable bout of the Tokyo 2020 Africa qualifier against Peter Pita Kabeji, took the 86kg title in Yaounde.
He drops down to 80kg in Dakar with the DR Congo boxer losing in the final of that class last month to Anauël Ngamissengue of Congo Republic. Could a hard-hitting rematch be on the cards?
Kenya seek revival
While South Africa is Africa's most successful nation in Olympic history - with six golds, four silvers and nine bronze medals - none have come since the nation was readmitted to the Games after the end of Apartheid.
Kenyan middleweight Robert Wangila won Africa's last boxing gold at Seoul 1988, and 13 boxers from the East African nation are currently in Cuba preparing for the Dakar event.
The 'Hit Squad' is headlined by 37-year-old veteran Elizabeth Andiego, who appeared on women's boxing's Olympic debut at London 2012, in that crowded women's 75kg class, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Christine Ongare.
Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier in Dakar - full schedule
Saturday 9 September
- Women's 50kg round of 32
- Women's 54kg round of 32
- Women's 60kg round of 32
- Men's 51kg round of 32
- Men's 57kg round of 64
- Men's 63.5kg round of 64
- Men's 71kg round of 64
- Men's 80kg round of 32
- Men's 92kg round of 32
- Men's 51kg round of 32
- Men's +92kg round of 16
Sunday 10 September
- Women's 50kg round of 32
- Women's 54kg round of 32 & 16
- Men's 63.5kg round of 32
- Men's 71kg round of 32 &6
- Men's 80kg round of 32 & 16
Monday 11 September
- Men's 63.5kg round of 32
- Men's 92kg round of 16
- Women's 57kg round of 16
- Women's 66kg round of 16
- Men's 51kg round of 16
- Men's 57kg round of 32
- Men's 63.5kg round of 16
- Men's 92kg round of 32
Tuesday 12 September
- Rest day
Wednesday 13 September
- Women's 50kg round of 16
- Women's 54kg quarter-finals
- Women's 60kg quarter-finals
- Women's 75kg quarter-finals
- Men's 57kg quarter-finals
- Men's 71kg quarter-finals
- Men's 92kg quarter-finals
- Men's +92kg quarter-finals
- Women's 50kg quarter-finals
- Women's 57kg quarter-finals
- Women's 66kg quarter-finals
- Men's 51kg quarter-finals
- Men's 63.5kg quarter-finals
- Men's 80kg quarter-finals
Thursday 14 September
- Women's 54kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 60kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 75kg semi-finals
- Men's 57kg semi-finals
- Men's 71kg semi-finals
- Men's 92kg semi-finals
- Men's +92kg semi-finals
- Women's 50kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 57kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 66kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Men's 51kg semi-finals
- Men's 63.5kg semi-finals
- Men's 80kg semi-finals
Friday 15 September
- Women's 54kg final
- Women's 60kg final
- Women's 75kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 57kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 71kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 92kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's +92kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Women's 50kg final
- Women's 57kg final
- Women's 66kg final
- Men's 51kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 63.5kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 80kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
How to watch the Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier in Dakar
All the action from the quarter-finals onwards - from Wednesday 13 September - will be streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.