by Zachary Alapi 

With no Americans in action on Day 2 of the Olympic boxing tournament, the biggest storyline was former IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng scoring a decision victory to avoid the embarrassment of an early exit. Rugged professional middleweight contender Hassan N’Dam suffered that ignominious fate yesterday.

Interestingly, lightweight Teofimo Andres Lopez Rivera, who represented Honduras, came up through the United States amateur boxing system but switched allegiances to his parents’ native country for the Rio Games (Carlos Balderas Jr. made the U.S. team at 60 kg). A standout American amateur for many years, Rivera was on the wrong end of a somewhat controversial decision today.

Evening Session Results:

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) def. Teofimo Andres Lopez Rivera (HON)

Interestingly, Rivera came up under the American amateur system but opted to switch allegiances to his parents’ native Honduras given that Carlos Balderas Jr. made the U.S. squad. Rivera showed his pedigree in round, employing a shoulder roll defense and tagging Oumiha with sharp right hands and whipping body punches. Amazingly, all three judges somehow scored round one for the Frenchman. Oumiha did find some success with slapping counters and darting movement, but Rivera seemed more powerful and purposeful, which was not reflected in the scores. Oumiha deserves credit for being an elusive target, and he countered more effectively as Rivera grew frustrated. But given the way the fight started, this decision was fairly controversial.

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): Amnat Ruenroeng (THA) def. Ignacio Perrin (ARG)

Looking to avoid the fate of fellow pro Hassan N’Dam, Amnat Ruenroeng tried to get his Olympics off to an impressive start. As expected, Ruenroeng did plenty of clinching, clutching and wrestling. But he also utilized an effective jab and straight right hand against the aggressive Perrin. The Argentine grew more frustrated in round two as he constantly fell short with his punches; in a clinch, Perrin tossed Ruenroeng to the canvas and was admonished by the official. Ruenroeng was completely content to counter and play spoiler. The best action of round three came when both men tackled each other to the mat. Ruenroeng was clearly the superior ring general, and he impressively never allowed Perrin to find a rhythm. It was a typical Ruenroeng win.

Men’s lightweight (60 kg): David Oliver Joyce (IRL) def. Andrique Allisop (SEY)

Allisop boxed fluidly in round one, peppering Joyce’s high guard with long jabs, straight right hands and a knifing uppercut. Joyce’s pressure was steady, though, and the Irishman found success during simultaneous exchanges, which the judges rewarded. In round two, a cut was opened over Allisop’s left eye, and a visibly frustrated Allisop turned his back on Joyce after claiming he was struck by an elbow. Joyce’s compact guard and inside fighting remained effective even as Allisop rallied following the cut. Joyce landed his left hook to the head and body with authority in round three. His work rate was impressive, as was his ability to cut off the ring. Allisop flurried well, but he couldn’t match Joyce’s tenacity.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Shakhram Giyasov (UZB) def. Youba Sissokho Ndiaye (SPA)

The lanky Ndiaye tried to keep Giyasov at bay with his jab, but the fighter from Uzbekistan marched forward with purpose behind a stiff lead left and crisp power shots; Giyasov clipped Ndiaye at the end of round one, knocking the Spaniard into the ropes and producing some swelling around his eye. Giyasov’s lead left hook to the body and overhand right were particularly effective, and his footwork never really allowed Ndiaye to find his range. Ndiaye was game throughout and even switched to southpaw for a spell in the final round, but he couldn’t match Giyasov’s precision and output. Giyasov figures to be a threat going forward, and his pedigree coming from such a strong boxing nation was evident.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Vladimir Margaryan (ARM) def. Winston Hill (FIJ)

Margaryan’s southpaw stance and straight left hand bothered Hill in the opening round, and the man from Fiji couldn’t match the technical precision of his Armenian opponent. A cut developed over Margaryan’s left eye, but the blood was luckily dripping down the side of his face. Hill, despite his inexperience (he apparently first learned boxing by watching YouTube), showed some snap in his left hook in round two, landing well to the body and applying pressure; the cleaner work came from Margaryan, but Hill displayed some natural ability. Margaryan started round three with a stinging straight left and never looked back, out-boxing Hill to earn a date against defending Olympic champion Roniel Iglecias of Cuba.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Souleyman Diope Cissokho (FRA) def. Imre Balazs Basckai (HUN)

Basckai applied steady pressure and did well to cut off the ring early, but the cleaner, more eye-catching work came from Cissokho, who landed a big straight right hand, which proved to be the best shot of the opening round. Cissokho employed a spearing right uppercut to stymie the pressure of the plodding Basckai, who did have some success when he switched to southpaw. Still, Basckai couldn’t quite let his hands go enough to make a significant impression. Cissokho grew into the fight as it progressed, controlling range masterfully and using Basckai’s pressure against him. Whether it was with lead uppercuts, half steps back or a purposeful jab, Cissokho was always a step ahead of his Hungarian opponent.

Men’s welterweight (69 kg): Saylom Ardee (THA) def.0 Pavel Kastramin (BLR)

Kastramin and Ardee effectively negated each other in the opening round, opting for cagey posturing as neither man seemed willing to open up. That changed in the final 20 seconds, as Ardee landed a clean right hand that prompted Kastramin to return fire with an aggressive flurry. Ardee, with his hands held low, moved effectively in the second stanza and landed sharp one-twos. Kastramin, however, was consistent with his pressure and punch output, leading to another difficult round to score. Entering the final round, the bout was level on two of three scorecards. Ardee came out for the final three minutes with some urgency, landing a steady dose of overhand rights; Kastramin did well with his jab, and they exchanged until after the bell. This was one of the session’s closest fights, and a case could have been made for either man. For Ardee, this was redemption after a first round exit at London 2012.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Peter Mullenberg (NED) def. Ehsan Rouzbahani (IRI)

Mullenberg, after a tentative start, bossed the action with a higher punch output. The Dutchman’s sweeping left hook and overhand right were particularly effective, the latter shot buckling Rouzbahani with just under a minute left in the opening round. The Iranian was game, but his swings were wild. Both stood their ground and traded in round two, but Mullenberg seemed to offer the cleaner work. Still, Rouzbahani had his moments of drawing the Dutchman into wilder exchanges, although he couldn’t consistently set the tempo. The final round got off to a cagey start but opened up in the final minute, with Rouzbahani stunning Mullenberg with a big right hand during a heated exchange. Despite this, Mullenberg had built an insurmountable lead to pull off an entertaining win in his Olympic debut.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Teymur Mammadov (AZE) def. Denys Solonenko (UKR)

Solonenko, who serves in the Ukrainian army and was giving up a massive seven-inch height advantage to the lanky Mammadov, aggressively worked his way inside against his 6’5” foe. Solonenko intelligently worked Mammadov’s body when he got close, eventually landing upstairs where an eye-catching combination snapped Mammadov’s head back; however, Mammadov peppered the Ukrainian with his southpaw right hook and straight left, apparently having enough success to win the first round. Mammadov, who won bronze in London as a heavyweight, was busier in round two and moved well laterally, throwing body shots from range. In fact, Mammadov settled into a fluid rhythm and outclassed Solonenko in round two. Solonenko was ultimately reduced to a frustrated plodder in the last stanza, and it will be interesting to see how Mammadov fares at his new weight going forward.

Men’s light heavyweight (81 kg): Mikhail Dauhaliavets (BLR) def. Valentino Manfredonia (ITA)

Manfredonia, at a quick glance, looked supremely sloppy with his hands held by his waists as he threw winging shots; however, the Italian found success with his awkward style after Dauhaliavets set the tone early with some cracking straight lefts from his southpaw stance. Both men fought furiously in round two, and Dauhaliavets was cut over his right eye, only to return the favor and open up a gash on Manfredonia’s face. The ringside physician paused the action to treat the Italian, and when the fight resumed, the referee warned both fighters about head clashes. Thirty seconds into the round, a left hook from Manfredonia shook Dauhaliavets to the soles of his shoes. Manfredonia literally swung for the fences during the final few minutes, but Dauhaliavets, despite getting buzzed, stood strong to hang on. It was more brawl than boxing match, but it was wildly entertaining.