By Zachary Alapi

The biggest storyline heading into Day 2 of the Olympic boxing tournament is the debut of former IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng (17-1, 5 KOs), who will fight in the evening session as a lightweight (60 kg).

Day 1 featured mixed result for the professionals controversially allowed to compete at the 2016 Games. Italian Carmine Tommasone’s awkward style befuddled the skilled but tentative Lindolfo Delgado of Mexico. Don’t expect Tommasone to advance far, though. His next bout will come against Cuban favorite Lazaro Alvarez.

Middleweight contender Hassan N’Dam, who competed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, gave a medal run one more go. Unfortunately for N’Dam, his light heavyweight (81 kg) bid fell short in the preliminaries, and he will now carry the ignominious distinction of being the first pro eliminated from the competition. He lost to Michel Borges of Brazil.

Team U.S.A. got off to a promising start, going 2-0 on Day 1 with Carlos Balderas Jr. (lightweight – 60 kg) and Nico Hernandez (light flyweight – 49 kg) scoring decision victories. No Americans are in action on Day 2.

Morning Session Results:

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): Enrico La Cruz (NED) def. Chu-En Lai (TPE)

La Cruz found success early landing his straight right hand against the southpaw Lai, who tried to force his way inside. Both set a fast pace in round one, although La Cruz appeared to get the better of the action. Lai did well going to the body in the following stanza, although he was mostly frustrated by La Cruz’s range and straight shots. After a mostly tame final round, Lai buzzed La Cruz, only to see the Dutchman return fire in a compelling final 30 seconds. La Cruz, part of the first Dutch boxing contingent since 1992, moves on via split decision.

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): Adlan Abdurashidov (RUS) def. Thadius Katua (PNG)

18-year-old Katua, who has only been boxing for four years, appeared to be in tough again the more experienced Abdurashidov. However, Katua proved he belonged by taking the fight to Abdurashidov behind a tremendous work rate. Abdurashidov, though, was able to time him with some crisp counters, including a big right hand at the end of the first round. Abdurashidov started to make an impression with his counter left hook in the second stanza, even as Katua sustained relentless pressure. Katua, to his immense credit, wobbled Abdurashidov with a flurry at the beginning of round three and didn’t let up. This led to some ferocious exchanges, but the Russian did well to keep his composure. Katua, in defeat, certainly won over the crowd, who booed the decision.

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): Reda Benbaziz (ALG) def. Mahmoud Adbelaal (EGY)

Benbaziz produced the first clean knockdown of the tournament, flooring Adbelaal in a heated exchange in the opening round. The southpaw Benbaziz caught a squared up Adbelaal with a sharp left hand after a huge right hook, sending the Egyptian to the mat. Adbelaal settled down in round two, finding a more optimal range and landing some decent body shots; Benbaziz perplexingly didn’t press his early advantage, opting instead to look for counters. Still, Benbaziz ultimately out-boxed the Egyptian. In the final stanza, Adbelaal again walked into a massive counter left from Benbaziz, which rocked him backwards. However, Adbelaal landed a massive right hook that crumpled Benbaziz, leaving him on unsteady legs as he rose; Adbelaal couldn’t follow up, though, smothering his own work and hitting Benbaziz in back of the head, prompting the referee to admonish him and give the Algerian valuable seconds to recover. This was the most exciting fight of the tournament so far.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Rayton Nduku Okwiri (KEN) def. Andrei Zamkovoy (RUS)

In a duel of southpaws, Zamkovoy, who eliminated Errol Spence Jr. at the 2012 Olympics, utilized exceptional movement and distance control to tame the aggressive Okwiri in the opening round. Okwiri had more success with his pressure, jab and body punching in the following stanza, but he was forced to expend tremendous energy working his way inside as Zamkovoy picked him off with straight shots. Still, the Kenyan won the round on two of the three scorecards. Both men came to life in the fight’s final minute, and it was again a contrast between the African’s relentless pressure and the Russian’s movement and boxing skills. In scoring a major upset, Okwiri sent the 2012 bronze medalist home early.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Byamba Tuvshinbat (MGL) def. Alberto Ignacio Palmetta (ARG)

Argentinean Palmetta got a frosty reception due to the Brazil-Argentina soccer rivalry, but he seemed to relish it. Palmetta started the fight behind a tentative high guard, allowing Tuvshinbat to outwork him early. Eventually, Palmetta started to let his hands go, but that only gave the Mongolian more opportunities to land flush. More of the same in round two with Tuvshinbat snapping Palmetta’s head back multiple times behind a steady two-fisted attack. Palmetta had more success in the final round with his single shots as Tuvshinbat’s work rate dropped, but the fight had ultimately been decided by the Mongolian’s superior punch output. The crowd roared in approval when the decision was announced.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Steven Gerard Donnelly (IRL) def. Zohir Kedache (ALG)

Donnelly did an admirable job of darting in and out of range, switching between orthodox and southpaw in an attempt to befuddle Kedache, who was loading up with a big counter lead right hook. While the opening round was tentative, Donnelly was the sharper boxer. Donnelly asserted himself in the second, boxing well from range and banging Kedache’s body when the gap closed; Kedache was game, but Donnelly kept making him miss by that ever so frustrating inch whenever the Algerian really committed to his punches. Ahead on the scorecards, Donnelly played matador in round three, showing that his tricky style and defensive acumen could lead to a long tournament run.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Eimantas Stanionis (LTU) def. Wei Liu (CHN)

Liu defeated Stanionis at the last World Championships, so the Lithuanian was out for revenge. Both men were content to occupy the center of the ring and trade compact, powerful hooks from behind high guards. Liu, though, was slightly more active and landed the more telling blows, and yet, Stanionis edged the first round on all three cards. Stanionis employed an effective jab in round two, which helped set up his calling card straight right hand; he also worked in a left hook to the Liu’s body. Liu continued to press, but many of his punches were blocked. Stanionis dealt with Liu’s final onslaught with composure and discipline, scoring what should be viewed as a minor upset behind committed power punching. Liu’s win over Stanionis at the World Championships secured him a bronze medal, but now it’s the Lithuanian who moves one step closer to a major medal.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Carlos Andres Mina (ECU) def. Serge Michel (GER)

The flamboyant Mina utilized his significant height advantage early, backing Michel up behind a long left jab. Mina then cornered Michel, unloading an impressive series of unanswered punches. The fight settled down after that, but Mina’s early onslaught clearly won him the round. Michel got into more of a rhythm in the second, keeping his guard low and making Mina miss; a massive right hand along the ropes stunned the Ecuadorian, whose punch output dropped significantly. The final round was crude, rough and entertaining. Mina dug deep and seemed to outwork the more technical Michel, again impressing with a key flurry along the ropes. Mina, while certainly raw, showed tremendous fighting spirit in pulling off a slight upset.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Joshua Buatsi (GBR) def. (TKO) Kennedy Katende (UGA)

Buatsi outworked and out-boxed Katende in the opening round, applying effective pressure and throwing tremendous hooks to the veteran Ugandan’s body. The British fighter simply set a pace that his opponent could not match. Katende was unable to change the look in round two, as Buatsi continued to force him to retreat and absorb unanswered punches. Buatsi was particularly impressive with his punch variety, punctuating combinations downstairs that drained Katende’s resolve. Two judges awarded Buatsi a 10-8 round. In round three, a series of chopping right hands prompted a standing eight count, leading to Katende’s corner throwing in the towel. Buatsi scored the first TKO of the Olympic tournament in a punch-perfect performance.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Albert Ramon Ramirez (VEN) def. Petr Khamukov (RUS)

Ramirez used his height and reach advantage to solid effect in the opening round, employing his long southpaw right jab to keep Khamukov at bay. The Russian’s low punch volume, combined with an inability to get in range, clearly left him second best. Khamukov tried to press and flurry a bit more in round two, but his lack of a discernible game plan remained evident. However, all three judges scored the stanza for the Russian, perhaps due to Ramirez’s somewhat paltry output. It was again hard to separate the two fighters over the final three minutes. Ramirez, despite possessing important physical advantages, seemed more content to salute the crowd after landing single shots than working with any consistency. Khamukov, again, had few genuinely effective attacks. Ultimately, the judges correctly favored Ramirez’s more stylish boxing and defensive acumen.