Nico Hernandez will bring a boxing medal back to America.
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Hernandez pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Olympics’ first three days on Monday night with a unanimous decision over Egorov, the European champion and runner-up at last year’s world championships.
“It’s always with me”, Hernandez said. We will also see two time Olympic medalist Paddy Barnes in competition for the first time in Rio in this division, as he earned a bye for his high ranking in the division prior to the Games. “It feels great. This is definitely a booster for me, for my confidence. I’m not sure what it is against us Americans but I just stay focused on my fight”.
Hernandez will become the first American light flyweight to medal since Michael Carbajal won silver in 1998.
There were some nervous moments for Hernandez against Ecuador s Carlos Quipo Pilataxi, 26, who slumped to his knees in the centre of the ring when the result was read out.
Hernandez flawlessly executed a game plan put together by veteran amateur coach Billy Walsh, who has been in charge of the USA program since late previous year.
But the Wichita, Kansas fighter has earned at least a bronze and snapped a US medal drought in boxing that stretches to 2008. Egorov earned a by into the round of 16, and a year ago he won gold at the European championships and silver at the World championships.
Hernandez may be too young to appreciate the importance of a medal, which he’s guaranteed to win because boxing awards two bronze medals rather than staging a third-place match.
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“We devised a plan to beat him then, but when we came in (to the USA team), very quickly he learned and adapted”, Walsh said.
