In one of the closest boxing matchups of the Rio Olympics, Shakur Stevenson lost out to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez by split decision. By the end of the second round the match was tied between the competitors both taking a win in an earlier round.
This is Cuba’s seventh consecutive medal in as many Olympics. And although Shakur has not taken the gold, this is the highest finish for an American boxer since the 1988 Seoul Olympics when Kennedy McKinney took gold.
Stevenson had a comparatively easy road to the gold medal match, only having to fight twice due to his bye as a high seeded competitor. In contrast, Ramirez was not seeded and had to win four fights to make it to the finals.
Nevertheless, this is a tough loss for Stevenson as he has never lost a match to an international opponent before today. In a post match interview with NBC Olympic’s Chris Mannix, he was had a lot of emotions.
History was also made on Saturday, as Nicola Adams (GBR) became the first female boxer to retain her gold medal. Adams was the first ever Olympic gold medalist in women’s flyweight boxing when it was established in 2012.
American Claressa Shields will look to retain her title as well, on the final day of the Olympics at 1 p.m. EST.
Men’s Bantamweight
Gold: Robeisy Ramirez (CUB)
Silver: Shakur Stevenson (USA)
Bronze: Vladimir Nikitin (RUS)
Bronze: Murodjon Akhmadaliev (UZB)
Women’s Flyweight
Gold: Nicola Adams (GBR)
Silver: Sarah Ourahmoune (FRA)
Bronze: Ren Cancan (CHN)
Bronze: Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria (COL)