Julio Cesar La Cruz’s quest to develop into the third Cuban boxer to win three Olympic gold medals got here to an finish Sunday by the hands of one other boxer who was born within the island nation.
La Cruz misplaced a 3-2 choice to unseeded Cuba-born Azerbaijani Loren Alfonso within the 2024 Summer time Olympics males’s heavyweight (92 kilogram) spherical of 16 at Enviornment Paris Nord in France. It was a surprising exit for the 34-year-old La Cruz, who received the sunshine heavyweight gold in 2016 and heavyweight gold on the Tokyo Video games, and appeared destined to affix fellow Cubans Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon in that unique group of Olympic tremendous achievers.
The 2 confirmed mutual respect for each other, embracing in a hug on the referee’s closing directions. La Cruz gave the impression to be the faster of the 2 although the 29-year-old Alfonso, a light-weight heavyweight bronze medalist on the 2020 Olympics, had a peak and attain benefit that helped him get to the goal. Alfonso landed his first significant punch halfway by means of the primary, a proper hand counter as La Cruz lingered one second too lengthy in an change. Alfonso confirmed he was not overawed by La Cruz as he performed to the group after shifting out of the best way of a volley of punches, and landed a counter proper off the ropes to finish the spherical.
Alfonso continued to have success within the second, utilizing his attain to time La Cruz from distance with counter proper fingers. La Cruz got here out with a extra aggressive stance within the third, firing a robust jab that snapped Alfonso’s head again, however missed alternatives to attain on the taller boxer by resting in shut. La Cruz continued to press the motion whereas Alfonso seemed for pull again counters along with his proper hand.
The 2 embraced as soon as extra after the choice, which confirmed Alfonso successful 29-28 on three scorecards, whereas the opposite two had it 30-27 and 29-28 for La Cruz.
La Cruz’s loss leaves middleweight Arlen Lopez because the lone Cuban with an opportunity to earn a 3rd gold medal this 12 months. Lopez will start his marketing campaign on Tuesday, July 30 when he face Turkey’s Kaan Aykutsun within the males’s 80kg spherical of 16. Aykutsun scored a stunner on the opening day of the boxing competitors when he beat Salvatore Cavallaro of Italy by a 4-1 choice.
Alfonso, who additionally received gold on the 2021 World Championships and 2019 European Video games, will face Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay, the 2022 Asian Championships gold medalist, within the quarterfinals spherical on Thursday, August 1.
Alfonso’s win is the second for an Azerbaijan based mostly Cuban over a Cuban boxer on the Olympics within the final three Olympiads, as Lorenzo Sotomayor scored a unanimous choice over Yasnier Toledo within the gentle welterweight quarterfinal on the Rio Video games in 2016.
The US moved to 2-0 to date on the Olympics as Roscoe Hill received a 5-0 choice over Iran born refugee boxer Omid Ahmadisafa within the males’s 51kg spherical of 32.
Hill, 29, of Spring, Tex. weathered an excellent aggressive begin from Ahmadisafa earlier than he began to make use of his vary and velocity to land counters of his personal. Hill discovered the goal with counter proper fingers off his shoulder roll however Ahmadisafa by no means stopped urgent ahead, as his nonstop assault and awkward offense earned him a slight 3-2 edge within the second spherical, making up some floor after he misplaced the primary spherical on all 5 scorecards. Hill started utilizing his examine hook to show away the lunges of Ahmadisafa, and needed to pull out all of his footwork abilities to create angles to counter punch alternatives.
Hill will return to motion on Tuesday, July 30 when he faces France’s Billal Bennama within the males’s 51-kg spherical of 16.
Full Outcomes
Males’s 51kg spherical of 32
Roscoe Hill (USA) 5-0 Omid Ahmadisafa (EOR)
Males’s 71kg spherical of 32
Rami Mofid Kiwan (BUL) 5-0 Damian Durkacz (POL)
Makan Traore (FRA) 4-0 Aidan Walsh (IRL)
Zeyad Eashash (JOR) 3-2 Aslanbek Shymbergenov (KAZ)
Males’s 92kg spherical of 16
Aibek Oralbay (KAZ) 5-0 Olaitan Adam Olaore (NGR)
Enmanuel Reyes Pla (ESP) 4-1 Han Xuezhen (CHN)
Victor Schelstraete (BEL) 5-0 Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali (SAM)
Loren Alfonso (AZE) 3-2 Julio Cesar la Cruz (CUB)
Lazizbek Mullojonov (UZB) 4-1 Aziz Abbes Moudiidine (ITA)
Girls’s 50kg spherical of 32
Zareen Nikhat (IND) 5-0 Maxi Carina Kloetzer (GER)
Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria (COL) 5-0 Yesugen Oyuntsetseg (MGL)
Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) 4-1 Giordana Sorrentino (ITA)
Fatima Herrera (MEX) 3-2 Laura Fuertes Fernandez (ESP)
Girls’s 66kg spherical of 32
Aneta Rygielska (POL) 3-2 Rosie Eccles (GBR)
Anna Luca Hamori (HUN) 4-1 Grainne Walsh (IRL)
Males’s 57kg spherical of 32
Nebil Ibrahim (SWE) 5-0 Wasim Abusal (PLE)
Boxers to look at for on Monday, June 29
Harry Garside (AUS), the 27-year-old southpaw from Mooroolbark, Australia, was a 2020 silver medalist, bowing out in opposition to eventual gold medalist Andy Cruz within the semifinals. He faces Richard Kovacs of Hungary within the males’s 63.5kg spherical of 16 at 6:20 a.m. ET.
Bakhodir Jalolov (UZB) has a 14-0 (14 knockouts) professional report, however the 6’7” Huge Uzbek is again trying to earn a second straight Olympic tremendous heavyweight gold medal as he faces Norway’s Omar Shiha within the spherical of 16 at 11:06 a.m. ET.
Jajaira Gonzalez (USA) opened eyes together with her dominant win over 2016 gold medalist Estelle Mossely within the opening spherical, now she has to get previous 2023 Pan American Video games gold medalist Beatriz Ferreira, the Brazilian who beat her within the semis of that event, within the girls’s 60kg spherical of 16 at 2:32 p.m. ET.
Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) has received three world championships gold however his greatest end on the Olympics was a silver medal eight years in the past in Rio. Can the 29-year-old lastly get that elusive Olympic gold? He faces Jordan’s Obada Alkasbeh within the males’s 63.5kg spherical of 16 at 10:02 a.m. ET.
