GLASGOW — Four Canadian boxers competed in semifinal bouts on July 31 at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. All had already secured at least a bronze medal, but a victory would earn a place in the gold medal bout. In the end, two Canadians advanced to tomorrow’s finals, while the other two finished with bronze medals.
Women’s 54kg – Scarlett Delgado
The first Canadian to punch her ticket to the gold medal bout was Scarlett Delgado, from Brampton, Ontario. Delgado matched up with England’s Lauren Mackie in the women’s 54kg semifinal and came away with a split 4-1 decision victory.
“I feel absolutely ecstatic (to advance to the gold medal match), I am over the moon right now. This was probably one of the sharpest performances I have ever delivered,” said Delgado. “Now, I will get some R&R, some good food in me, chat with my coaches and get ready for tomorrow.”
This was Delgado’s third contest of the Games. She opened with a unanimous 5-0 decision victory over Scotland’s Stephanie Kernachan in the round of 16 and followed it with another unanimous 5-0 decision over New Zealand’s Greer Hall in the quarterfinal.
Women’s 60kg – Marie Al-Ahmadieh
The final Canadian in action, on the day, was Marie Al-Ahmadieh, from Montreal. Al-Ahmadieh received a bye into the quarterfinal, making her the last Canadian to begin her Commonwealth Games campaign. When she did, she scored a split 4-1 decision victory over Kenya’s Rosemarion Otieno to advance to the semifinal against Pakistan’s Fatima Zahra.
After winning the opening round, Al-Ahmadieh came out even stronger in the second. She earned three standing eight counts before the referee stopped the bout, booking her place in tomorrow’s final.
“I am so happy to be going to the final. This is my first Commonwealth Games, the semifinal was a completely different atmosphere from the quarterfinal, and I can’t wait to see what the final will be like. I have no time to waste in my preparations for the final and I hope to take advantage of every second of every round in the final.”
Men’s 80kg – Joshua Ofori
In the men’s 80kg semifinal, Joshua Ofori, from Edmonton, faced India’s Ankush. Ofori had been dominant on his road to the semifinal. He opened the competition with a win by referee stoppage over Sri Lanka’s Aithija Sudamma before earning another referee stoppage victory over Fiji’s Aminiasi Saratibau. In the quarterfinal, he advanced by walkover against Ghana’s Desmond Pappoe.
Unfortunately, Ofori’s run ended there as Ankush earned a unanimous 5-0 decision, leaving the Canadian with the bronze medal.
“Winning bronze, it wasn’t the colour of medal that I wanted, but I will take a step back and watch what I did wrong and then go back to the kitchen and put some recipes together and start cooking again. It wasn’t the best fight, the best performance, but it’s boxing. We do this and we come back. We need to keep a good mindset.”
Women’s 51kg – Amber-Jane Wall
In the women’s 51kg semifinal, Amber-Jane Wall, from Edmonton, took on India’s Sakshi. Wall was coming off an emotional comeback victory in the quarterfinal, where she defeated Wales’ Niamh Brookes by unanimous decision after dropping the opening round. She had also opened the competition with a unanimous decision victory over Ghana’s Ramatu Quaye and was looking to carry that momentum into the semifinal.
Wall came up short in the semifinal, losing by unanimous decision and finishing her Commonwealth Games with a bronze medal.
“Obviously, we wanted a change in the colour but the goal was a medal. I’m glad that we achieved that. This is years of hard work, sacrifice and overcoming hardship to get to this point. We know that India is a nation of strong competitors but there are no excuses. She was a better fighter today.”
Boxing wraps up tomorrow, Aug. 1, with both of Canada’s gold medal finals. Delgado is scheduled to take to the ring at 11:00 a.m., followed by Al-Ahmadieh at 4:45 p.m. (all times local).
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