Boxing Road To Paris: Mbata, Adeshina fail to pick Olympic ticket

Hope of Team Nigerian boxers picking an Olympic ticket at the just concluded final Paris 2024 qualifiers which took place in Bangkok, Thailand was dashed following the inability of the country’s two female boxers, Patrick Mbata and Zainab Adeshina to go beyond the quarter-finals of the qualifiers.

Fighting in the 75 kg class, United Kingdom based Patricia Mbata, lost by 5-0 to Mexican Oritz Citlalli Vanessa Vanessa while Zainab Adeshina also lost by 4-1 split decision to Kaivo-Oja Pihla of Finland in the 50 kg class.

A win at the quarter-finals would have guaranteed them a ticket at the Olympics but their inability to beat their more experienced opponents mean that all the five boxers which the country presented at the trials failed to make it to France.

Their failure did not come to boxing stakeholders as a surprise considering their poor preparations which was dogged by controversy over non payment of camp allowances with the boxers reportedly paying their way to the Thai qualifiers.