The most highly anticipated two weeks of 2024 for amateur boxing is nearly upon us as the world’s best descend on Paris in their bid to claim Olympic gold. 

After the 2020 Olympics was pushed back to 2021 due to Covid-19, we’ve only had to wait three years this time around, which means there are a lot of fighters competing this year who were also involved in Tokyo.

We’ve taken a look at all weight categories and picked one fighter in each division to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

51kg (Flyweight) - Saken Bibossinov (Kazakhstan)

A fighter who was in contention to mount a serious challenge for gold in Tokyo, the Kazakh flyweight could only manage bronze after losing out to the eventual winner, Galal Yafai, in the semi-finals. 

He did, however, go two better when claiming gold at the World Championships later that year, and with a win over favourite Hasanboy Dusmatov, he will fancy his chances of medalling once again.

57kg (Featherweight) - Carlo Paalam (Philippines)

Another fighter who made the podium in Tokyo three years ago, Paalam went one better than Bibossinov, only to be beaten by Yafai in the final of the flyweight tournament. 

He stepped up in weight immediately after that defeat and, despite a few losses in the build-up to Paris, this is a weight class which clearly suits him, and he’s more than capable of claiming gold in a wide-open division.

63.5kg (Lightweight) - Harry Garside (Australia)

Part of a strong team of 12 who will be representing Australia in Paris, Harry Garside is one of the better-known fighters from the team, and he’ll be aiming to medal for the second Olympics on the bounce.

Having claimed bronze in Tokyo in the same weight class, he turned pro and moved to 3-0 before switching his attention back to the unpaid ranks in a bid to qualify for the Olympics. 

He cruised to gold in the Pacific Games last year and, despite some troubles outside the ring, he has plenty of momentum and could be a real danger to the tournament favourites. 

71kg (Welterweight) - Omari Jones (USA)

A 21-year-old with plenty of hype around him in America, he won gold at the US National Championships in 2021 before claiming silver at the World Championships later that year. 

Jones booked his place for Paris when going undefeated in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Italy, and he’ll be hoping to build on that impressive form over the next few weeks.

A big Olympics could well see him enter the paid ranks as one of the hottest properties in world boxing.

80kg (Middleweight) - Oleksandr Khyzhniak (Ukraine)

Undoubtedly one of the biggest prospects in Ukrainian amateur boxing currently, the 2023 European Games gold medallist was cruelly denied victory in Tokyo when he was caught with one of the best punches you are likely to see, and subsequently stopped in the final by Hebert Sousa, having dominated all three rounds.

The true mark of a champion, however, is how they respond to adversity, and he hasn’t lost a fight since that dark day in Tokyo, meaning he goes into the Olympics as the big favourite, and rightly so.

92kg (Heavyweight) - Pat Brown (Great Britain)

The only Brit in our ones to watch, Pat Brown has enjoyed an incredible rise to stardom. 

Having been selected for the GB Podium squad in 2022, he has subsequently gone on to win his second ABA title and has now secured his place in Paris. 

A technically sound boxer who, at 24, is still growing into his frame, he’s trained by Nigel Travis at Moss Side Fire Club in Manchester with the help of Jamie Moore, and this is certainly a young man who has got a huge future ahead of him in the paid ranks. Don’t be surprised to see him get amongst the medals in Paris.

92kg+ (Super Heavyweight) - Teremoana Junior (Australia)

All eyes will be on defending champion Bakhodir Jalolov in the Super Heavyweight division, and rightly so, but if one man is going to dethrone him, it could well be the hard-hitting Aussie, Teremoana Junior. 

He boasts a pretty phenomenal record of eight stoppage wins from his last 10 outings, which tells its own story, particularly for an amateur.

It’s common knowledge that outboxing the hard-hitting Jalolov is almost impossible, but expect this Aussie to be bang in the mix when it comes down to the medals.

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