Haitian boxer hoping to win medal to improve country's image

PARIS : Boxer Cedrick Belony-Duliepre said he is hoping to change the perception of Haiti by winning a medal at the Paris Olympics.

Armed gangs have taken over much of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince and over half a million people have been internally displaced, with close to 5 million people experiencing severe hunger.

Belony-Duliepre, who is based in the Canadian province of Quebec, said he wanted to give the people of his nation something to cheer about.

"For me, it's very important to win and make people happy because Haiti is in a bad situation right now," light heavyweight Belony-Duliepre, Haiti's lone boxer at the Olympics, told Reuters on Saturday.

"To put in a good performance and to bring a medal home is going to be good for the image of the country," he said.

"Luckily, none of my family has been affected because they are all in Canada right now. My family is from Haiti. My dad and my mom were born in Haiti. Then when I was young, like four or five, they went to Canada, to Montreal."

Belony-Duliepre, who was awarded a universality place - like a wild card - in the men's boxing draw, faces World Championships silver medallist Wanderley de Souza Pereira of Brazil in his opening bout on Tuesday.

It only gets tougher from there for the Haitian, with a potential clash against Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Oleksandr Khyzhniak awaiting him in the next round, but the 25-year-old remains optimistic.

"You know, we are at the Olympics. Every sport, they have good fighters, good athletes, the best in the world are here," Belony-Duliepre said of his upcoming fights.

"I have a good draw. I'm going to fight the Brazilian guy first. He's a good boxer. But I know I can beat him and I'm going to beat him Tuesday."