Tammara Thibeault of Saint-Georges, Quebec won the gold medal on Friday at the International Boxing Association Women’s World Boxing Championship in Istanbul, Turkey. She placed first in the women’s middleweight division and became Canada’s first ever female gold medalist in World Boxing Championship history.
In the gold medal bout, Thibeault beat Atheyna Bylon of Panama 4-1. For those watching the match on the international feed, there might have been some confusion because the commentator initially reported that Bylon won the first round even though it stated on the screen that Thibeault was victorious.
It was quite simply a dominant performance for Thibeault, as she not just overpowered Bylon, but her other opponents as well. In the round of 16, she blanked Naomi Graham of the United States 5-0. That was followed by two more 5-0 victories. Thibeault beat Caitlin Parker of Australia 5-0 in the quarterfinals and Rady Gramane of Mozambique 5-0 in the semifinals. Bylon won silver, while Gramane and Davina Michel of France won bronze.
The gold for Thibeault was one of two medals won by Canada at the 2022 Women’s World Boxing Championships in Turkey. The other was won by Charlie Cavanagh of Saint John, New Brunswick., who won the silver medal behind gold medalist Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the welterweight division. The referee stopped the gold medal contest when it was determined that Surmeneli completely outclassed Cavanagh in the final.
This was still an excellent World Championship for Cavanagh as she beat Rosie Eccles of Great Britain 3-2 in the first round, Stephanie Pineiro of Puerto Rico 3-2 in the second round, Ivanusa Moreira of Cape Verde 5-0 in the quarterfinals, and Ichrak Chaib of Algeria 3-2 in the semifinals. Chaib and Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand shared bronze medals. The medals for Cavanagh and Thibeault will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
