Nico Hernandez clinches first medal for USA men's boxing team since Beijing in 2008
For the first time since Beijing in 2008, the USA men's boxing team will leave the Olympics with a medal.
After being shut out in London for the first time in modern Olympic history, light flyweight Nico Hernandez clinched a bronze medal Wednesday with his third unanimous decision victory of the Rio Games.
Hernandez's win advances him to the semifinals and secures his berth on the podium.
Light welterweight Gary Antuanne Russell made it another undefeated night for the U.S. squad with a unanimous decision victory in his Olympic debut.
One of the many changes in the boxing competition this year is that the light flyweight bracket will be completed in the first eight days. Hernandez stepped into the ring for the third time for his quarterfinal match with Ecuador's Carlos Eduardo Quipo Palaxti on Wednesday.
Palaxti won the first round on two judges' scorecards. But Hernandez turned up the heat in the second round, landing shots early to take control of the match. He connected with several clean shots and took the round on all three judges' scorecards to tie the bout up with one round remaining.
Hernandez set the tone in the final three minutes, landing strong punches while blocking Palaxti effectively. All three judges gave Hernandez the third round, giving him the bout by unanimous decision to advance the 20-year-old boxer to the semifinal round and ensure he will leave Rio with at least a bronze medal.
"It was a little difficult but I know as I go along the fights are just gonna get harder. As long as I listen to my coaches and do what they say, I know they won't lead me on the wrong path. They told me it was close, that the first round was close," Hernandez said. "I hit him with a couple body shots and I feel like that slowed him down. I knew he was going to be coming forward. He's a real strong fighter so I had to wear him down to the body and slow him down."
Hernandez will compete in his semifinal bout with Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday for a spot in the finals.
USA boxer Gary Russell, right, fights Haiti's Richardson Hitchins Wednesday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Hernandez understands the importance of breaking the eight-year medal drought the U.S. men's team has suffered through.
"It feels good (to win a medal) knowing that we didn't medal the last Olympics," Hernandez said. "It gives me and my team a lot of motivation. We've all been together since we were younger on the youth team and the junior team so at practice we will push each other and we're real competitive at practice, too.
"I know it's really important for my coaches, USA Boxing, me and my family back at home (Wichita, Kan.) so I'm just real glad because I worked a long time for this. We finally got to the big stage and now we are coming here to change USA Boxing and hopefully bring home more medals."
Russell entered the ring 90 minutes after his teammate's big win and kept the U.S. team rolling in a bout with a familiar opponent in their light welterweight preliminary contest. He faced fellow Olympic Trials participant Richardson Hitchins, a Brooklyn native who is representing Haiti in Rio. Russell eliminated him at the Olympic Trials and did the same Wednesday.
For the Russell family, Gary Antuanne's first bout was a culmination of years of work for their pugilistic family. His older brother Gary Jr., was a 2008 Olympian but fell ill the night before the weigh-ins and was unable to compete.
With his father/trainer Gary Sr., and mom Lawan looking on, Russell built an early lead in the bout. He took the first round on all three judges' scorecards and continued his success in the second. Russell stalked Hitchins in the match and looked to land strong body shots. He took a two-round lead in to the final round and he became more aggressive over the final three minutes on his way to a unanimous decision win. Russell will compete in his second match on Sunday against Thailand's Wuttichai Masuk.
"I'm a very confident in what I do. The way my performance showed I was expecting to be a lot better. Made it an ugly fight but a great fighter said it's not how you win as long as you win," Russell said. "I believe that he was training for me. He even went to camp for people to try to imitate my fighting style but the way I've been taught is that no matter what the other person brings to the plate, it's my job to capitalize."
The U.S. Boxing Team is now off to a 6-1 start and will enjoy an off day on Thursday before Hernandez and lightweights Mikaela Mayer and Carlos Balderas compete on Friday. Balderas will take the ring immediately following Hernandez's bout at 12:30 in a quarterfinal matchup with Cuba's Lazaro Alvarez. A Balderas victory would clinch a medal.
Mayer will box in the evening session in her tournament opener against the Federated States of Micronesia's Jennifer Chieng.
(Photo at top of Nico Hernandez, left, by Jack Gruber, Paste BN Sports)