- Bronze sure, gold possible: Tiafack boxes for the medal
Nelvie Tiafack already looked triumphant before the verdict, confidently bowing to the audience. After the medal for the super heavyweight boxer was confirmed at the Olympic tournament, the Cologne powerhouse flexed his muscles for the cameras. At 25, bronze is already secured for him after his unanimous points victory in the quarterfinals against the Italian Diego Lenzi. In the semifinals next Wednesday, Tiafack, in the over 92 kg weight class, will fight against the Australian Teremoana Teremoana or the Uzbek Bachodir Jalolow for a place in the final and a chance at gold. The two semifinal losers will each receive bronze.
This is the first Olympic medal for the German Boxing Association since 2016, when Artem Harutyunyan won bronze in the lightweight division in Rio de Janeiro. Tiafack is the last remaining German boxer at the Paris Games. Chemnitz's Maxi Klötzer and Munich's Magomed Schachidov both lost in the first round.
For Tiafack, this is already the greatest success of his career, also rewarding him for many setbacks in the past. The 1.89-meter athlete, who weighs between 110 and 120 kg depending on his training phase, has been held back by injuries and form fluctuations. In Paris, however, everything is running smoothly - the 2022 European champion had already sensed it before departure: "I go into every tournament expecting to be among the best."
Olympics in Tokyo surprised him by missing out, despite being the top seed at the qualifying tournament. Tiafack took another shot at Olympic glory - and is now being rewarded. He took his mother, who was in the audience cheering him on, and his sporting idol Mike Tyson as role models, saying: "Not many have a fighter's heart like that."
The native Cameroonian has also learned early on to fight his way through. He came to Germany alone with his mother, "I had no other choice but to be strong." He tried football and basketball, but it was only with boxing that he could channel his emotions properly. His talent was evident early on, becoming German champion in the elite class at just 19 years old.
After Olympics, switch to the pros?
German heavyweight professional Agit Kabayel believed in a Tiafack Olympic victory in Paris even before the won quarterfinal. "I definitely think he can win gold," the 31-year-old told the Munich Merkur/tz media group: "He brings an extremely high level of dynamism. That's very interesting for the audience."
And that makes him interesting for the professional scene. Tiafack would like to make money with boxing after the Olympics, and the now secure Olympic medal should make the switch easier. Just like Harutyunyan did before him, who lost a WBC world title fight in the lightweight division against the American Shakur Stevenson in early July.
Kabayel believes that Tiafack will also "make a good impression" among the pros. The Bochum resident emphasized: "Olympics is the perfect stage for the transition to the professional level."
The Olympic medal secured by Nelvie Tiafack at the Court of First Instance was his first win for the German Boxing Association in six years. Following his victory, Tiafack expressed his admiration for heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson, citing him as a role model.
