Mexican boxer Marco Verde secured a silver medal in the 71kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday, August 9, falling short of gold in a unanimous decision loss to Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev. The final, held at Roland Garros, saw Verde putting up a valiant effort but ultimately unable to overcome his opponent’s constant movement and pace.Verde’s journey to the final was marked by impressive victories, including wins over Tiago Muzanga of Mozambique, Nishant Dev of India, and Lewis Richardson of Britain. His silver medal performance is particularly significant as it marks Mexico’s first Olympic boxing silver since Héctor López Colín’s achievement in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.The 22-year-old from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has not only added to Mexico’s medal tally but also fulfilled a family legacy. Verde’s father, Manuel, competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics but was eliminated in the first round. ‘It was a great day,’ Verde said, reflecting on his achievement, ‘but I’m sad that I couldn’t get the gold’.Verde’s silver is Mexico’s fifth medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, bringing the country’s total Olympic boxing medals to 14. The Mexican Olympic Committee praised Verde’s ‘indomitable spirit,’ while President Andrés Manuel López Obrador congratulated him on social media, calling the silver medal ‘a pride for Mexico and our people’.As the Paris Olympics continue, attention now turns to the future of boxing in the Olympic program. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to decide in 2025 whether boxing will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, contingent on finding a reliable international federation to organize the competition.
Key points
- Marco Verde won silver in the 71kg boxing category at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- This is Mexico’s first Olympic boxing silver medal since 1984.
- Verde’s achievement brings Mexico’s total medal count at Paris 2024 to five.
- The IOC will decide in 2025 on boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
