BOXING JUNKIE TRACKS THE PROGRESS OF THE 2016 U.S. OLYMPIC BOXING TEAM AND PROVIDES OUR TOP 10 AMONG AMERICAN OLYMPIANS FROM THE PAST THREE GAMES
Silver medalist Shakur Stevenson was arguably the most-gifted member of the men’s 2016 U.S. Olympic team, which competed in Rio de Janeiro. He definitely has had the most success as a professional.
And he already is one of the most accomplished among American Olympians from the last three Games (2008, 2012 and 2016).
Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs) has held the WBO 126-pound title and will face Jeremia Nakathia for the sanctioning body’s “interim” 130-pound belt on Saturday in Las Vegas (ESPN, ESPN+), meaning a shot at a second major title is around the corner.
The most-decorated boxer on the past two U.S. Olympic teams is Claressa Shields, who was a two-time gold medalist and has won multiple professional titles.
Here is a look at the 2016 U.S. men’s team – including division and results in the Olympics — and how each member is doing in the professional ranks. Also, following that, we provide our Top 10 list from the past three Olympics in terms of professional accomplishments.
2016 TEAM
Nico Hernandez
Division: Light flyweight
Result: Bronze
Pro: Hernandez (7-0, 4 KOs) hasn’t fought since February 2019 in part because he was accidently shot in the leg this past Nov. 1. He had surgery and reportedly was recovering. The resident of Wichita, Kansas, won a minor flyweight title by stopping Szilveszter Kanalas in one round in 2018 but has yet to face a notable opponent or take part in a major event. That title fight was his only outing scheduled for more than eight rounds.
Antonio Vargas
Division: Flyweight
Result: No medal
Pro: Vargas (12-1, 5 KOs) was building momentum when he was stopped in one round by capable Mexican Jose Maria Cardenas in a scheduled eight-rounder in May 2019, the result of a single right-handed punch. He rebounded by winning two scheduled six-round fights, the most-recent one in February of last year. All but one of the Kissimmee resident’s fights have taken place in Florida, where he has become a regional attraction.
Shakur Stevenson
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Silver
Pro: Stevenson defeated Joet Gonzalez by a near-shutout decision to win the vacant WBO featherweight title in Reno, Nevada. He defended once, stopping Felix Caraballo in six rounds in June of last year, and then moved up to junior lightweight. He shut out Toka Kahn Clary in a 10-rounder this past December. As the mandatory challenger, he’s expected to face WBO champ Jamel Herring this winter if he beats Nakathia on Saturday.
Carlos Balderas
Division: Lightweight
Result: No medal
Pro: Balderas (9-1, 8 KOs) was a hot prospect coming out of the 2016 Games but hadn’t gained traction as a professional. Then he ran into disaster: a sixth-round knockout loss to Juan Rene Tellez in December 2019, his most-recent fight. However, the product of Santa Marica, Calif., will be the beneficiary of a fresh start: He reportedly has signed a multi-fight deal with Top Rank. He’s expected to fight again in August, according to Yahoo Sports.
Gary Antuanne Russell
Division: Light welterweight
Result: No medal
Pro: Russell (14-0, 14 KOs) is the younger brother of Gary Russell Jr. and seems to be on his way to realizing similar success. Gary Antuanne has it all – skill, speed and power, as his knockout record indicates. He’s coming off a sensational sixth-round stoppage of Jovanie Santiago on May 29. Santiago had gone the distance with Adrien Broner in his previous fight. Russell is within a victory or two of his first title shot.
Charles Conwell
Division: middleweight
Result: No medal
Pro: Conwell (14-0, 11 KOs) had the tragic misfortune of delivering the blows that resulted in the death of Patrick Day in October 2019, which deeply affected Conwell. He has bounced back to win three consecutive fights, including a ninth-round stoppage of Madiyar Ashkeyev in December. The resident of Cleveland is scheduled to face Mark DeLuca on the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos card on June 19. Conwell is ranked by two sanctioning bodies, meaning a title shot could come soon.
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TOP 10 FROM PAST THREE OLYMPICS
- Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) – The welterweight titleholder, Boxing Junkie’s No. 4 fighter pound for pound, has by far the best resume of recent Olympians. He’s scheduled to face fellow beltholder and legend Manny Pacquiao on Aug. 21.
- Gary Russell Jr. (31-1, 18 KOs) – The quick-handed featherweight beltholder has been criticized for not fighting as regularly as other titleholders but he has some solid victories and is currently the longest-reigning world champion.
- Jose Ramirez (26-1, 17 KOs) – The now-former 140-pound unified titleholder suffered his first loss last month, a close decision against Josh Taylor, but he has a number of notable victories and remains an elite fighter.
- Demetrius Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) – The current middleweight titleholder and former 154-pound champ has had difficulty making fights with top-tier opponents but has dominated those placed in front of him.
- Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) – Say what you want about Wilder’s ability or lack thereof; the former heavyweight champ has one of the biggest right hands in boxing history, as his record indicates. It took a special heavyweight in Tyson Fury to sully Wilder’s perfect record.
- Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 KOs) – The former Marine battled through two mid-career losses to become a junior lightweight champion. And he’s coming off his biggest victory, a sixth-round knockout of former Fighter of the Year Carl Frampton in April.
- Shakur Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs) – The fast-rising star is No. 7 for now. He could shoot up this list in short order.
- Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1-1, 15 KOs) – Jo Jo outpointed Tevin Farmer to win a 130-pound title in January of last year, his break-out performance. He lost his title on the scale in his next fight and has moved up to 135. He faces a major challenge against Javier Fortuna next month.
- Sadam Ali (27-3, 14 KOs) – Ali’s claim to fame was retiring Miguel Cotto and winning a 154-pound title in the process. He was stopped by Jessie Vargas before that fight and is 1-2 since.
- Rau’shee Warren (18-3, 4 KOs) – The two-time Olympian narrowly outpointed Juan Carlos Payano in their rematch to win a bantamweight title but lost it to Zhanat Zhakiyan in his first defense. He also lost to Nordine Oubaali in a bid to win another 118-pound title.
Here are the Olympics in which our Top 10 participated: 2008 – Andrade, Ali, Russell Jr. and Warren; 2012 –Spence, Herring, Ramirez, Diaz and Warren; 2016 – Stevenson.
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