Rex Tso faces last chance to save Paris 2024 Olympic dream at Boxing Road to Paris 2nd World Qualification Tournament
It seems Rex Tso is staying under the radar as he gears up for one of the most important tournaments of his life.
The Hong Kong, China boxer turns 37 later this year, and the upcoming Boxing Road to Paris 2nd World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, is the last chance he has to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
And Tso has been hard at work, avoiding social media – his last Instagram post before a recent flurry dated to November 2023 – and keeping his head down for his final tilt at making the Games, given his age.
After failing to obtain his quota at the 1st World Qualification Tournament, he now heads to Bangkok for the decisive bouts which run from 24 May to 2 June 2024.
With three Olympic quotas available in his men's 57kg weight division, Rex Tso – or Tso Sing Yu, to use his Cantonese name – will have to reach the semi-finals to have a chance of fighting for one of the obtainable spots.
Rex Tso's difficult Olympic qualification journey
Nicknamed the "Wonder Kid" after a remarkable professional career when he was younger that saw him compile an undefeated 22–0 record, it's been seven years since he last boxed professionally.
Last year, Tso admitted the transition from pro boxing to Olympic-style 'amateur' boxing had been a struggle, given the fewer rounds and faster pace of bouts.
It is clear that his journey in this very different world of boxing has been a bumpy one. Tso suffered heartbreak in his quest for Tokyo 2020 after the Covid pandemic changed the format that year.
He twice came within one win of sealing his much-dreamt-of ticket to the Games at that year's Asia Qualifier, but fell at both the quarter-final and box-off stages.
Then, expecting to get another chance at the World Qualifier, his hopes were dashed when pandemic restrictions meant the event was cancelled, the Games were postponed, and the remaining spots were handed out based on world ranking.
It meant he had to change tack and look three years further down the line to Paris 2024.
Rex Tso's path to Paris 2024
Tso lost in the early rounds in both of his World Championships appearances in 2021 and 2023, in further apparent setbacks.
His first opportunity to obtain a Paris 2024 qualification spot came at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou in September and October, with the winning semi-finalists securing quota spots.
However, in Hangzhou, he fell at the very first hurdle, losing to eventual semi-finalist Rujakran Juntrong.
It was another tough pill to swallow for Tso, although he later posted on social media: "The road has to be walked step by step, and there are many unknowns. The falls and failures in the middle are a lesson and an experience. I don’t know what the final result will be, but I know I tried hard. No regrets."
Ahead of the 1st World Qualification Tournament in March, he was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a training camp and small tournament, which he won by default without a fight after his opponents forfeited in his category. However, that lack of bouts hurt him as he was eliminated in the opening round of the qualifier.
So Tso's hopes of qualifying now rest on making it from the upcoming 2nd World Qualification Tournament.
With over 55 athletes fighting for the final three quota spots in his weight class, the Hong Konger has his work cut out for him in Thailand.
But he was nicknamed the 'Wonder Kid' for a reason.
Now, in the waning years of his boxing career, can he find some of that old spark to finally fulfil his long-term dream?
This story was originally published in March 2024 and updated in May 2024.