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Zambia Boxing Federation
Zambia's campaign at the Boxing Road to Paris 2024 Africa qualifying tournament is facing significant challenges, with Mary Mhango, a female featherweight boxer, becoming the latest casualty. Mhango, initially ranked seventh among the eight Zambian boxers in the competition, suffered a late-round stoppage in her bout against Nigerian Joy Ojo Nene. This loss adds to the disappointment as five out of seven Zambian boxers have now been eliminated from their Olympic quest in the early stages of the tournament held in Dakar. Last night, Zambia's best hope, Patrick Chinyemba, was set to step into the ring against Mozambique's Yassine Issufo after receiving a bye in the preliminary round. Issufo secured his place in the match against Chinyemba when his opponent, Bakora Kolongo of Congo, was disqualified due to a low blow, despite leading on the judges' scorecards. Zambia Boxing Federation (ZBF) President Dan Chiteule expressed his disappointment at the number of boxers being eliminated, stating, "It is very disappointing; we had hoped that the fighters who would compete later would bounce back."
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