Wyatt Sanford Celebrates Dominant Olympic Debut in Boxing

Wyatt Sanford, representing Canada, had an impressive start to his Olympic boxing career by defeating Radoslav Rosenov from Bulgaria in the men's 63.5-kilogram Round of 16. In a showcase of skill, Sanford was awarded a unanimous victory by all five judges after dominating the first two rounds of the match.

Expressing his excitement, Sanford remarked, “Great way to start, great way to get the tournament going." He emphasized the significance of reaching the top eight and is now just one win away from securing a medal. As the top seed, Sanford received a bye in the first round and is set to compete against Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev in the upcoming quarter-finals on Thursday.

Sanford is one of only two Canadian boxers competing in Paris, alongside Tammara Thibeault, who is set to fight in the women’s 75-kg division. Both athletes are determined to end a stretch of no medals for Canada in boxing, which has persisted since David Defiagbon's silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Thibeault will face Cindy Ngamba, a boxer from Cameroon representing the EOC Refugee Team, in her first match on Wednesday.

Reflecting on the recent challenges faced by Canadian boxing, Sanford mentioned the notable changes made by Boxing Canada to improve training and development, hoping that their efforts result in a medal for either him or Thibeault. The 25-year-old boxer from Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, previously won gold in the 63.5-kg category during his Pan American Games debut in Santiago, Chile, and has a history of success as a four-time Canadian youth champion along with securing his first senior title in the 64-kg weight class in 2018.