Abdelhafid Benchabla (born 26 September 1986, in Zemmouri) is an Algerian amateur boxer. He represented Algeria at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and is the current World Series of Boxing Light heavyweight champion.

Career

At the Arab Championships 2007, he lost the semifinal to Tunisian boxer Mourad Sahraoui. At the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Benchabla won the silver medal after losing in the final to Ramadan Yasser of Egypt. In 2008, Benchabla qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing after beating Bastir Samir of Ghana at the AIBA African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament 2008 in Algiers, Algeria. he beat Mourad Sahraoui of Tunisia in the final. At the Olympics he won the rematch with Kassel but lost 7:12 to eventual winner Zhang Xiaoping. In 2009, Benchabla won silver medal at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy, after losing in the light heavyweight final to Bosko Draskovic of Montenegro. On 28 May 2011, Benchabla qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London after beating Ludovic Groguhe of France in the World Series of Boxing light heavyweight final in Guiyang, China. At the 2012 Olympics (results) he beat German Enrico Kölling 12-9 then lost to Ukrainian Oleksandr Hvozdyk 17–19, with a controversial two points penalty in the last 5 seconds of the 3rd round.

Chronology