YAFAI LEADS CHARGE OF GB’S DIRTY DOZEN
JEFF POWELL
BRITAIN’S Galal Yafai has the honour of opening the first Olympic boxing tournament in which the men will not be wearing headguards. The 23-year-old Brummie will make that little piece of history when he takes on Cameroon light-flyweight Simplice Fotsala in the first bout of the Rio games today at 3pm UK time. Coach Rob McCracken has high hopes for a 12-strong GB team, only one short of maximum qualification. Yafai is expected to win on his Olympic debut but would then face No 1 seed Joahnys Argilagos on Monday. That will be an even tougher prospect with the Cuban fully rested courtesy of a bye into the second round. Welsh lightweight Joe Cordina has been denied that privilege even though he is the reigning European amateur champion. However, he has a promising route through to at least the quarter-finals, starting tonight with Charly Suarez of the Philippines. London heavyweight Lawrence Okolie, who was serving burgers in a fast-food joint before taking up boxing little more than a year ago, closes the first day. He is capable of overcoming Poland’s tough Igor Jakubowski but, like Yafai, faces a daunting prospect in Monday’s second round: his opponent would be highly gifted Cuban Erislandy Savon. Another Londoner, Josh Buatsi, fights 31-year-old Ugandan veteran Kennedy Katende tomorrow. Nicola Adams, the first ever female boxer to win Olympic gold, has a 10-day wait before starting her defence of the flyweight title she claimed in London. The much-loved 33-year-old from Leeds is favourite to win gold again.