Bujold punches way into Olympic boxing quarterfinals
Canada’s boxers are off to a strong start at Rio 2016.
A day after Arthur Biyarslanov won his first match, Mandy Bujold defeated Yodgoroy Mirzaeva of Uzbekistan by unanimous decision, 3-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.
RELATED: Biyarslanov wins Olympic debut
Canada’s Mandy Bujold, left, celebrates as she won a match against Uzbekistan’s Yodgoroy Mirzaeva during a women’s flyweight 51-kg preliminary boxing match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“Honestly, there were two opponents in the tournament that I knew nothing about, and she was one of them,” said Bujold. “We could not find video; we could not find anything. Sometimes, it’s a good thing. You can focus on your own strength. But there was still the unknown. Is she aggressive, is she left-handed, is she right-handed? I knew nothing.
“It was really a matter of going out there and trying to adapt really quickly to what she was going to do. The first round I think that I boxed really well. Second round, I felt her rushing at me, but once I got my timing and I used my speed, I think everything went well.”
Bujold, who is competing in the women’s fly (48-51kg), will take on China’s Cancan Ren in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The winner advances to Thursday’s semifinals.
RELATED: Canada’s Rio 2016 boxing team
The 29-year-old is competing in her first Olympic Games. She’s won gold at the past two Pan Am Games in the 51kg class.
Along with Biyarslanov and Bujold, Canada’s Olympic boxing team includes Ariane Fortin, who will take on Kazakstan’s Dariga Shakimova on Sunday. Fortin is competing in the women’s middle weight class (69-75 kg).
