It was a move like no other: Cameroonian middleweight boxer Wilfried Seyi performed a backflip in the middle of the ring after defeating his Colombian opponent on Tuesday in the ongoing Rio Olympics, according to Associated Press.
The 18-year-old boxer dominated his opponent in the first and second rounds with a score of 29-28. Seyi emerged the overall winner of the bout even though he lost the final round, which ended 30-27.
The crowd hailed his excellent performance against Colombia’s finest, Jorge Vivas Palacios, who is ten years older than him.
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The win earned him a ticket to the 1/18 finals, raising hopes for a boxing medal for Team Cameroon.
Speaking to Radio France Internationale after the match, the energetic boxer said, “I am very moved because I eagerly prepared for this fight, I studied the battle rhythm of my opponent. It is true that at first I had difficulty because he was physically present and I had to improvise and anticipate to win this fight.”
Being Cameroon’s flag bearer at the Rio 2016 Olympics, the young boxer understands the huge responsibility on his shoulders and hopes to carry the whole country to glory with a gold medal.
“This win is for me and the entire Cameroonian nation in great joy since I am the flag bearer and I better win to motivate my colleagues,” he said.
His next opponent is the Egyptian champion Hussein Bakr Abdin Hossan, who won the 1/16 final against Mauritanian Merven Clair. The bout is slated for August 12, and the winner will qualify for quarter-finals.
The gold medalist of the 2015 African Games also had a message for his upcoming opponents:
“I intend to win all my fights in succession because I came here (Rio 2016 Olympics) to win all my fights and reach the final.”
