United States’ Shakur Stevenson, right, fights Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat during a men’s bantamweight 56-kg quarterfinals boxing match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
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That gave Stevenson a walkover to the finals of the 123-pound weight class.
USA Boxing have now confirmed their fighter Stevenson has progressed into the final, with the head of the Russian delegation at the Games Igor Kazikov also confirming their fighter’s withdrawal.
Stevenson, 19, will be the first US men’s fighter to fight for a gold medal since Andre Ward won the light heavyweight gold in 2004, and just the fourth American men’s fighter to fight for a gold medal since the 2000 Olympics, along with Ward, Rocky Juarez (silver medalist at featherweight in 2000), and Ricardo Williams (light welterweight silver medalist in 2000).
Vladimir Nikitin is out in Rio due to cuts, and Shakur Stevenson will fight for gold as a result. Stevenson actually wanted to box Conlan, the reigning World gold medallist, in the semi-final.
“I don’t know how much we would have got out of the Russian because he’s kind of beat-up a little bit”, he said. “He (Stevenson) wanted to fight but then he’s like, “man, I’m going to the finals and this is what I wanted”.
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Stevenson said has spent a lot of time studying video of Ramirez, who won a unanimous decision against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan in their semifinal match on Thursday. Mayweather, who attended Stevenson’s fights, subsequently referred to Stevenson as “the next Floyd Mayweather”. “It’s work time, just me and him, mano y mano”, Stevenson said. I definitely watched his fight [Thursday]. As such, Stevenson advances via walkover, sources said to NBC Olympics. “‘I saw my bracket”.
