Boxer Darelle Valsaint Jr., a Haitian-American from Florida, is scheduled to have his first fight in the 2020 Olympics this week. He will face an opponent who kicked off the tournament by defeating the most experienced pugilist in the Olympics.
Valsaint, 21, will take on Congolese Tshama Mwenekabwe on Thursday, July 29, at 4:30 a.m. eastern time, in the Round of 16 of the middleweight class at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.
Mwenekabwe triumphed over Wilfred Ntsengue, the most experienced boxer at the Olympics, by a narrow 3-2 decision by the judges on Monday. Meanwhile, Valsaint won his first fight by forfeit.
Before the Olympics, the 21-year-old took home the 2019 Elite Gold Medal at Haiti Boxing’s International Championship and the 2019 Elite Gold Medal at Battle of the Islands Championships in St. Maarten.