Widad Bertal Fights for World Title as Africa’s Sole Finalist at Women’s World Boxing Championships

Morocco’s Widad Bertal is set to fight for gold today as Africa’s only finalist at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Serbia.

Her compatriot, Hasnae Larti, Africa’s reigning light-heavyweight champion, settled for bronze after losing 5-0 in the semi-finals to Russia’s Saltanat Maldenova.

This mirrors Morocco’s performance at the 2023 Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India, where the country also secured a bronze medal and had one finalist, Khadija Mardi, who went on to become Africa’s first-ever female world champion. In New Delhi, Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki also won a bronze in the minimumweight category.

In Serbia, Africa had nine boxers in the quarter-finals, but only Bertal and Larti reached the semi-finals, reinforcing Morocco’s dominance in African women’s boxing.

The 25-year-old Bertal survived a tense semi-final battle against Serbia’s European champion Sara Cirkovic, securing a 3-2 victory that required a Bout Review. After an additional two judges reviewed the fight, the final score went 4-3 in Bertal’s favor.

Bertal, a two-time African champion and reigning African Games gold medallist, now faces Turkey’s Hatice Akbas in the final. Akbas, a southpaw, Olympic silver medallist, and 2022 world champion, enters as the favorite, but Bertal has the skill and determination to pull off an upset and become Africa’s second-ever female world champion.

Bertal has been in excellent form, building momentum since her Paris Olympics qualification, where she defeated 2022 world flyweight champion and 2023 world bronze medallist Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand in the round of 16 before losing 4-0 to North Korea’s Pang Chol-mi.

Meanwhile, Hatice Akbas had to overcome Thailand’s Chongprongklang Natnicha in the semi-finals with a 4-1 victory to secure her spot in today’s championship bout.

Akbas is one of four Turkish boxers in the finals, alongside Buse Naz Cakiroglu (2022 world champion, two-time Olympic silver medallist), Busenaz Surmeli (two-time world champion, Tokyo Olympic gold medallist), and light-heavyweight Busra Isildar.

With a shot at history and continental pride, all eyes are on Widad Bertal as she steps into the ring today, aiming to bring home Africa’s second-ever women’s world boxing title.