by Shawn Smith
It was another day of dominance for the Cuban boxing team at the Rio Olympics. Light flyweight Joahnys Argilagos and light heavyweight Julio Cesar La Cruz – both of which entered the games ranked first in their divisions – shined on Day 5 as they both advanced to their respective quarterfinals.
Argilagos was victorious in the first fight of the day, shining against Kenya’s Peter Warui. He’ll face Columbia’s Yurberjen Martinez in the semi-finals on August 12. The other semi-final fight will be decided this event when Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov takes on Kazakstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov and Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo Pilataxi takes on USA’s Nico Manuel Hernandez.
La Cruz put on one of the most dazzling displays so far in the tournament with a beautiful display of movement and boxing skill in dominating an overmatched Mehmet Unal of Turkey. He’ll take on Brazil’s Michel Borges, who defeated former world champion Hassan N’Dam in the first round and received a luckier decision this morning against Croatia’s Hrvoke Sep. The men’s light heavyweight quarterfinals take place on August 14.
Along with USA’s Hernandez, light welterweight Gary Russell will also be in action against Haiti’s Richardson Hitchins. It will be Russell’s first fight of the Olympics and a win will put him into the round of 16.
Quick results:
Men’s light flyweight (49kg.): Joahnys Argilagos (CUB) def. Peter Warui (KEN)
Men’s light flyweight (49kg.): Yurbenjen Martinez (COL) def. Samuel Carmona Heredia (ESP)
Men’s bantamweight (56kg.): Aram Avagyan (ARM) def. Arashi Morisaka (JPN)
Men’s bantamweight (56kg.): Chatchai Butdee (THA) def. Qais Ashfaq (GBR)
Men’s bantamweight (56kg.): Vladimir Nikitin (RUS) def. Boe Warawara (VAN)
Men’s light welterweight (64kg.): Chinzorig Baatarsukh (MGL) def. Thulasi Tharumalingam (QAT)
Men’s light welterweight (64kg.): Hovhannes Bachkov (ARM) def. Luis Arcon (VEN)
Men’s light welterweight (64kg.): Qianxun Hu (CHI) def. Raul Curiel (MEX)
Men’s light heavyweight (81kg.): Julio Cesar La Cruz (CUB) def. Mehmet Unal (TUR)
Men’s light heavyweight (81kg.): Michel Borges (BRZ) def. Hrvoke Sep (CRO)
Men’s heavyweight (91kg.): Rustam Tulaganov (UZB) def. Abdulkadir Abdullayev (AZE)
Men’s heavyweight (91kg.): Evgeny Tishchenko (RUS) def. Clemente Russo (ITA)
