Australia (Commonwealth) _Australian boxer Harry Garside has advanced to the semi-finals of the 2023 Pacific Games. On Tuesday (27 November), the Tokyo 2020 63.5kg bronze medalist overpowered Papua New Guinea’s John Ume in the Solomon Islands’ Friendship Hall to earn a unanimous decision victory.
It was wonderful to get the nerves out of the way since I knew it would be one of the tougher battles here, Garside said. He is well prepared to compete in the last four. After the match, he stated that his opponent was the last Pacific Games champion and that he battled him in his first Olympic Games bout.
He did not make things simple for me, catching me with a few massive overhands and a powerful puncher… He stated, “I felt like I executed my game plan really well, so I’m glad with the initial win out of the way and now have two more (fights) to go.”
Yusuf Chothia, Shannon Davey, and Teremoana Teremoana, Garside’s countrymen, also advanced to the quarter-finals in the 51kg, 71kg, and 92+kg divisions. in other news, the Solomon Islands boxers had another successful day, with Maximillian Brechthefield Makana, Ryan Gavin (both 60kg), and Pemberton Lele (63.5kg) all winning their quarter-final bouts.
Harry Garside of Australia leads the men’s draw and is the heavy favorite at 63 kg. The Victorian earned Olympic bronze in Tokyo in 2021, as well as the Commonwealth Games 60 kg championship in 2018.
Teremoana Samson Teremoana Junior, Garside’s compatriot in the super heavyweight class, is also anticipated to perform in the Solomon Islands. The Cook Islander retired from the professional ranks in December 2022 to focus on preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. He breezed into the second round of the 2023 World Championships, when he was defeated by Uzbekistan’s reigning Olympic and 2023 World champion, Bakhodir Jalolov.
Boxing is being utilized as an Olympic qualification competition for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for the first time in the Pacific Games. The champions in each weight class will secure their country’s quota. Boxing is one of two sports where quotas for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 may be obtained during the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.
In fact, the Pacific Games boxing competition will function as an Olympic qualifier for the first time ever. The event will be held at Honiara’s recently constructed National Friendship Hall, which can seat 1500 people. There will be six weight classes for women and seven weight divisions for men, with the winners of each category earning a spot in Paris 2024.
Boxing is one of the Olympic Games’ oldest sports, with roots dating back to roughly 3000 BC in Ancient Egypt. Over two millennia later, during the Ancient Olympic Games, the sport made its Olympic debut, and it has been a feature of the modern Olympic schedule since the 1904 Games in St. Louis.
Women’s boxing was added to the Olympic program in London in 2012, and an equal number of men and women will compete for gold in Paris in 2024.
Boxing will be competed in by 248 boxers at Paris 2024, with 124 women and 124 men competing. France has received six automatic quotas for the Games, three for men and three for women, while nine Universality Places will be given, five for women and four for men.
Each NOC can qualify 13 competitors at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with six women (one per event) and seven men (one per event). The Paris 2024 boxing tournament will take place in the Roland-Garros Stadium and the North Paris Arena from July 27 to August 10, 2024.
