As we approach the medal rounds of the 2024 Paris Olympics, one thing is certain – the event lacks the luster it once had for many reasons. It’s hard to find on television, and many of the fights this year simply aren’t that good. That doesn’t mean, however, there aren’t reasons to follow the men’s and women’s competitions.

Here’s what has been happening since the last Olympics update.

Now that is a shocker

Cindy Ngamba might become the Cinderella story of this year’s Olympic boxing cycle. She defeated the favorite in the 75-kilogram women’s tournament, ousting Canada’s Tammara Thibeault in the first round. More incredibly, Ngamba fights for the Refugee Olympic Team. Although she is cornered by Team Great Britain and trains with the squad, Ngamba can’t compete under the team’s banner because she doesn’t have a British passport.

Ngamba went from being a talented underdog to one of the favorites to medal in one fight. She is following in the footsteps of Natasha Jonas, and together they are the only two fighters to win British National Amateur Championships in three different weight categories. A story to follow. 

Interesting matchups

Though lightweight Erislandy Alvarez is still the clear favorite in the division and is cruising through his side of the bracket, two exciting matchups will determine a semifinal medal match: Canada’s Wyatt Sanford will face Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev, and Hungary’s Richard Kovacs will fight France’s Sofiane Oumiha. Both of these matchups are 50-50 fights and could be more exciting than the gold medal match that will follow.

Friday night might determine if Uzbek super heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov wins gold, as he will face Australia’s Teremoana Junior, who mirrors Jalolov in size and has short, effective punches like a young George Foreman. It should be a gold-medal-caliber match happening outside of a medal round.

A rematch of the gold medal match from the 2020 Olympics will see 2020 gold medalist Kellie Harrington fight Beatriz Ferreira in the semifinals. The winner of the bout will be the favorite to win the tournament.

Turkey runs women’s boxing?

With women’s bantamweight Hatice Akbas one fight away from a medal, Turkey appears poised to dominate women’s boxing this year. The 66-kilogram Busenaz Surmeneli and 50-kilogram Buse Naz Cakiroglu are both likely to win either gold or silver. Turkey is ahead of the curve in elite amateur women’s boxing, becoming the hub of the sport at the moment.

While the two Turkish men have already been eliminated from their brackets, Turkey has four fighters still in the women’s bracket, all with an above-average chance of medaling. Esra Eildiz (57 kilograms) remains in contention, and Gizem Ozer (60 kilograms) has been the only woman eliminated so far.

Uzbekistan, a boxing superpower

Since 2016, when Uzbekistan won three gold medals at the Olympics, it has been one of the top teams in amateur boxing and has also begun to produce top-notch pros. But the Uzbeks have not been romanticized like the Cubans or the legendary Ukraine team. As of the last day of July, Uzbekistan has 10 fighters remaining in Olympic competition, with the team’s only loss being women’s bantamweight Nigita Uktamova via walkover.

It’s not a question of whether Uzbekistan will medal; it’s a question of how many medals – and specifically gold – the team can earn.

USA holding strong for medals

Featherweight Jahmal Harvey lived up to expectations by defeating Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, the grandson of bronze medal Olympic boxer Servílio de Oliveira. Harvey now holds two straight wins over Oliveira, having also defeated him in the Pan Am Games semifinals in 2023. The two were split with two victories each, but Harvey’s latest win gives him an edge in their Olympic careers.

Oliveira did a lot of holding, and a small cut opened up under Harvey’s eye – a developing story that will determine whether Harvey will still be allowed to compete in the round of eight. Harvey was critical of himself on Instagram, stating that he had been looking for the knockout, but he got the job done and lived up to the hype.

Welterweight Omari Jones won his opening bout and is now one fight away from being the first U.S. Olympic medalist in 2024. Jones turned in a flawless effort, the best start-to-finish performance of any Team USA fighter thus far. He has to defeat Bulgaria’s Rami Mofid Kiwan to become an Olympic medalist.

Women’s bantamweight Alyssa Mendoza defeated Turkistan’s Mijgona Samadova. The fight was hard to score and had a lot of clinching, but after U.S. Olympic coach Billy Walsh told Mendoza to leave everything in the ring, she did just that, winning the final round on all the judges' scorecards. Mendoza has a shot to be this year’s Duke Ragan, a medalist who didn’t get proper respect entering the tournament. She has a long road ahead, like any Olympian, but winning a tough and competitive fight was a good start.

Flyweight Roscoe Hill lost a close fight to No. 1 seed Bilal Bennama from France. The bout was scored incorrectly. Bennama won the first round, whereas Hill clearly won the second and third. Unfortunately, bad scores in favor of fighters from the host country have become common at the Olympics.

The improbable run of Zeyad Ishaish

Jordan’s Zeyad Ishaish defeated Kazakhstan’s Aslanbek Shymbergenov in the opening round and then defeated Japan’s Sewon Okazawa, a favorite to medal. He is one fight away from becoming an unlikely Olympic medalist, as his surprising run and the success of Jordan at the 2024 Olympic Games in boxing continues. Ishaish is the only boxer remaining from Jordan in the tournament. He will face Team Great Britain’s Lewis Richardson, who is the lone survivor of his Olympic squad.

North Korea nears a medal

Women’s bantamweight Pang Chol-mi is one fight away from receiving a medal at the 2024 Olympics. North Korea has won a silver medal in mixed doubles table tennis (Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong) and another silver medal in women’s diving 10-meter synchronized platform (Kim Mi-rae and Jo Jin-mi). Choi-mi will face the fifth seed, Morocco’s Widad Bertal, and the winner will advance to the semifinals.

Other upsets

Light heavyweight Cristian Pinales, of the Dominican Republic, upset China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan, a favorite to reach the finals. In fact, Pinales completely shut him out.

Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev eliminated the Philippines’ Eumir Marcial, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist and a professional boxer.

Kyrgyzstan featherweight Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu upset Cuba’s Saidel Horta. Seiitbek Uulu will face Harvey, with the winner advancing to the medal rounds.

A name to remember

Keep tabs on Irish featherweight Jude Gallagher. A classic overachiever, Gallagher might be somewhat limited in skill compared to other Olympians, but he has a fighting spirit that could connect well with fans if he turns professional. Though his Olympic outing might have been forgettable – Gallagher lost a unanimous decision to the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam – he could forge a pro career in a boxing-mad nation that exalts its scrappers.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.