Australia's Jeffrey Horn, right, fights against Zambia's Gilbert Choombe in the men's boxing during the London 2012 Olympic Games July 31, 2012.Reuters
Canada looks for its second boxing victory of the London Games today as Simon Kean of Trois Rivieres, Que. makes his Olympic debut.
The 23-year-old faces Tony Yoka of France in the super heavyweight (91+ kilogram) division. Yoka, also a young fighter at 20, was the gold medalist at the 2010 Youth Olympics. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound Canadian is known for his chiselled physique. The 6-foot-6 Frenchman is no small man either. They meet at 10:45 p.m. London time (5:45 p.m. ET)
The Canadian champion has had to overcome several hurdles in recent years. He has been recovering from a shoulder surgery he had in the fall. He also fought back from a serious ATV accident he suffered three years ago when he suffered a badly broken leg and an infection so severe, doctors feared an amputation. He still sports a pretty spectacular scar from the surgery needed to repair the leg and foot. The fighter had been in a wheelchair and walking with canes for several months, losing six months of his Olympic training journey.
Custio Clayton of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia upset Mexico's Oscar Molina Casillas on Sunday and gets his second match on Friday versus Australian Cameron Hammond. On the women's side, three-time world champion Mary Spencer opens her Olympic tournament on Sunday when she fights the winner of a bout between Chinese boxer Li Jinzi and Brazil's Roseli Feitosa.
Rachel Brady