Marco Verde Defies Odds to Win Silver for Mexico in Paris 2024 Olympics

Marco Verde Álvarez has made headlines by securing a silver medal in the 71-kilogram boxing category at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He entered the tournament with low expectations but proved the predictions wrong by reaching the finals.

In a thrilling showdown against Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev, Marco fought valiantly, and his strong performance earned him a hefty prize of over 3.6 million pesos for his silver medal win.

The financial rewards come from a mix of government support, private sponsorships, and the International Boxing Association (IBA). Mexico’s National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE) has promised medallists like Marco a bonus of two million pesos, which could rise depending on decisions made by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Alongside the government funds, Marco also benefited from private donations. The Foundation Telmex contributed 250,000 pesos, and Farmacias Similares added another 500,000 pesos for his silver medal. There’s also a promise from the government of Sinaloa to recognize Marco’s achievement, but the specifics are still unclear.

Prior to his Olympic success, Marco received financial support from CONADE totaling over two million pesos in scholarships and incentives aimed at helping him prepare for these games. He earned 396,000 pesos through scholarships and managed to accumulate the rest through his sporting achievements.

In the lead-up to the Olympics, Marco reflected on his journey, sharing that he was inspired by his father, Manuel “Sammy” Verde, a former amateur boxer who competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he narrowly missed out on a medal.

Before he embraced boxing, Marco was a baseball player in his childhood days in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. It was his father’s inadvertent encouragement that eventually led him to the boxing ring, where he trained under Radamés Hernández, developing a boxing style akin to the elegant Cuban technique.

Marco’s path to the Olympics has been marked by notable victories, including winning gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2023 against Colombian fighter Jhonatan Arboleda, and similarly at the Pan American Games held in Santiago.

Boxing enjoys a rich tradition in Mexico, being the second-most successful sport in terms of Olympic medals, with a total of 14 medals to its name so far.