Another Brazilian athlete has qualified for the boxing quarterfinals. In the opening fight of the women’s featherweight category (up to 57 kg), Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu defeated American Alyssa Mendoza by judges’ decision. The quarterfinal fight will be against Turkish athlete Esra Yildiz Kahraman, on Sunday (4), at 6:16 am (Brasília time). If she wins, Jucielen will guarantee a spot in the semifinals and also, at the very least, a bronze medal. This is because in boxing there is no dispute for third place.
CLASSIFIED! 🥊
Jucielen Romeu defeats Alyssa Mendoza 🇺🇸 and advances to the quarterfinals of women’s boxing. You’re awesome, Juci!#TimeBrazil #Olympic Games #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/GKAK8l6oVW
— Time Brazil (@timebrasil) August 2, 2024
The fight was evenly matched. In the first round, out of the five judges, three gave the Brazilian the win. The second round was even, but the American managed to land more blows. The Brazilian still tried to fight back. But this time, three judges gave the win to Alyssa. The duel would be decided in the third round, but the balance remained in the ring. In the end, Jucielen won on points with a 4-1 decision, according to the referee’s decision.
São Paulo boxer Jucielen Romeu defeated American Alyssa Mendoza in her debut in the lightweight division (57 kilos) and will fight in the quarterfinals at 6:16 am on Sunday (4) – Wander Roberto/COB/All Rights Reserved
“Everyone saw that it was a fight, she fought from the first round. These are tough fights that are happening here. Everyone prepares as much as possible to get to this moment and give their all up there, to not let anything go. But thank God I am very well trained, very focused, I listened very well to my coaches. We were prepared for any kind of surprise from our opponent, because we study the game, we study the opponent, but things can change in the ring. And that’s what happened. I started a little bit there, getting into the game, but then I said ‘calm down, really get into the game and find a way to stand out and come out with the victory, and not lose on details’”, said the boxer in a statement to the Brazilian Boxing Confederation (CBBoxe).
Brazil’s next fights
On the afternoon of this Friday (2), starting at 4:36 pm, Wanderley de Souza Pereira competes in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight category (up to 80 kg). The opponent will be the Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak, the same one who was defeated by Abner Teixeira in the final of the category at the Tokyo Olympics (2021).
On Saturday (3), starting at 5:08 pm, Beatriz Ferreira will take to the ring in the semifinals of the lightweight category (up to 60 kg) for women. She will have the opportunity for revenge against Irishwoman Kellie Harrington, who defeated the Brazilian in the Tokyo Olympic final.
