China's Wu Yu, Algeria's Imane Khelif win gold in boxing

PARIS: The penultimate day of boxing at Roland Garros saw four gold medals awarded on Friday, as China's Wu Yu, Algeria's Imane Khelif, and the Uzbekistan duo of Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev and Lazizbek Mullojonov all won gold.

In the women's 50kg final, China's Wu Yu defeated Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Türkiye via split decision 4-1 to win China's second gold medal in boxing.

In the opening round, Wu used her superior speed to enter the rangy Cakiroglu's guard and deliver from inside. While both women exchanged on the inside, it was the final 30 seconds of unanswered shots that swung the round for Wu on four of the five scorecards.

The second round carried on from the first with both women trading blows in and out of the clinch, but it was Wu who landed the most consequential of the punches to again win on four of the scorecards.

The awkward clinches caused the referee to deduct points for blows to the back of the head and one sharp shot to Cakiroglu's buttocks, yet the Chinese maintained her superiority throughout the round and wrapped up the win by scoring big on the inside.

Cakiroglu came out hard in the third, advancing towards the Chinese with little impact, other than creating awkward clinches that at one point almost caused the pair to fall out of the ring.

However, despite more openings presenting themselves as Cakiroglu moved forward, Wu stayed disciplined in her approach.

"If I were to rate my performance out of 100, I'd give myself a 60 to 70. I feel there's a lot more I could have done, but I didn't fully show it. Even though I won, in the earlier rounds, I was focused on staying steady. I didn't want to lose control by becoming too aggressive, which could have negatively impacted my performance. Once I secured the win, I felt more at ease. I don't like the feeling of being out of control," Wu admitted.

"Winning this medal has always felt like my mission. When a new weight category was introduced, I felt like my chance had come. I didn't have opportunities like this before, so I cherished every day of training, pushing myself through every challenge without complaining, because not everyone gets this kind of opportunity," Wu said, reflecting on her journey following her win.Supported by a passionate Algerian fanbase, Khelif walked out to massive cheers, while Yang was greeted with a far more hostile reaction on her walk with the Algerian fans desperate for gold.

Wary of the Algerian's superior power, Yang started the fight sitting on the outside, looking to use her superior boxing skill and speed to open Khelif. However, Khelif was prepared to wait for Yang to throw first before fighting ugly on the inside and catching Yang on entry.

Khelif's superior power began to pay its dues. Despite landing fewer punches than Yang, every time Yang was caught by Khelif's right, it sent her marching back a few paces.

In the third, down unanimously, Yang tried to be more aggressive but could not overcome Khelif's iron-like right which continued to send her off balance a few steps and look poor aesthetically in the judges' eyes and scorecards.

Following the match, Yang, at the age of 32, reflected on her future in the sport. "I want to take some time to rest. The preparation for the Olympics has been exhausting, especially since the focus has been entirely on this event. Now that it's over, I feel a bit worn out and just want to relax for a while," Yang said. "My next goal is the National Games next year. After that, I'll reassess my plans for the next stage of my career."

"If I have the opportunity, I would love to continue fighting in future Olympics."In the men's 71kg final, Marco Verde, chasing Mexico's first Olympic gold since 1968, fell to the supreme Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev of Uzbekistan.

Muydinkhujaev's footwork exposed the Mexican over the three rounds as the Uzbek ran rings around Verde, using his shoulder roll to effectively slip punches. Despite an onslaught in the third as Verde looked for the knockout, Muydinkhujaev never looked troubled despite playing defense.

The result represents Uzbekistan's second boxing gold of the Games.

Uzbekistan were soon celebrating their third gold after Lazizbek Mullojonov defeated Loren Alfonso of Azerbaijan in the men's 92kg final via unanimous decision.

In the first, southpaw Mullojonov boxed confidently from the outside, maintained his shell defense, and was able to comfortably roll with Alfonso's ineffective counterpunches.

Alfonso came out in the second more relaxed with his hands down and was able to land more on Mullojonov. However, the Uzbek was still able to keep control of the round and beat the Cuban-born fighter to the punch.

In the third, Mullojonov switched to a high guard and was content to coast through the rounds, absorbing the timid offense of Alfonso.