Tanzania’s hopes of winning a boxing medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games now rest on Zawadi Kutaka, who steps into the ring today in a crucial quarter-final bout with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Kutaka will take on a boxer from Lesotho in the women’s 57kg featherweight division, knowing that victory would secure her a semi-final berth and keep Tanzania’s medal ambitions alive in Glasgow.
She is the country’s only remaining boxer in the competition following the early elimination of her two teammates.
Yusuph Changalawe was knocked out in the round of 16 of the men’s 80kg category after losing on points to Kenya’s Ankintola David.
Earlier, Faki Issa Faki became the first Tanzanian boxer to exit the tournament after suffering a defeat to Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale in the round of 16 of the men’s 55kg bantamweight division.
With Changalawe and Faki out of the competition, all eyes are now on Kutaka as she carries Tanzania’s last realistic chance of reaching the boxing podium at the Commonwealth Games.
A win over her Lesotho opponent would move the Tanzanian boxer into the semi-finals, bringing the country one step closer to securing a medal in the boxing competition.
