Boxing: Katie Taylor's Olympics Opponents Named by AIBA

[mjon3105]

By Michael O’Neill


For Katie Taylor, the long wait is over. Now she knows who her opponents will be when she strives for that all elusive Gold in London in August.
The AIBA issued the full list of 60kg competitors this morning :

1. Adriana Dos Santos ARAUJO- Brazil
2. Cheng DONG – China
3. Natasha Paula JONAS – Great Britain
4. Katie TAYLOR – Ireland
5. Saida KHASSENOVA– Kazakhstan
6. Mahjouba OUBTIL – Morocco
7. Alexis PRITCHARD – New Zealand
8. Mihaela LACATUS – Romania
9. Sofya OCHIGAVA – Russia
10. Mavzuna CHORIEVA – Tajikistan
11. Rim JOUINI – Tunisia
12. Quanitta Lee UNDERWOOD – United States

For Katie and Peter Taylor the news will come with relief as it will enable Katie to plan ahead but there will be grave disappointment that the opponents do not include such as Turkey’s Gulsum TATAR, a two times world champion nor any of the Scandinavians such as Norway’s Ingrid EGNER or Sweden’s Helena FALK.

During the World championships in China and since the Taylor’s have been vociferous in their requesting that the world’s top boxers be included and it is difficult to understand how such as Jouini, Oubtil and Pritchard came to be preferred over those mentioned. Much of course will now depend on the draw and since there are only two seeds, Taylor and Ochigava, this means that Taylor could still face any one of Jonas,Underwood or Cheng Dong in her first bout on August 6th at the Excel Centre.

The draw of course will be crucial but on form the four semi-finalists would likely include Taylor, Ochigava, Jonas and either Underwood or Cheng Dong.