American Shakur Stevenson Comes Up Short In Gold Medal Match In Rio.
NPR
Highly touted amateur Shakur Stevenson came up a tad bit short in his quest to win a gold medal in the men's Olympic bantamweight final today against Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez. It was a very close decision that came down to round 3 as judges had the fight even going into the final round. Ramirez outworked the Stevenson in the round to capture his second gold medal after previously winning gold in 2012 in the flyweight division. Judges scored rounds 1 and 3 in favor of Ramirez in what was a very tough bout to score.
For Stevenson, it was his first loss in international competition. He was humble in defeat, admitting he did not do enough to get the victory over Ramirez as he fought back tears during the post-fight interview. However, in a losing cause, Shakur earned the highest medal finish for US men's boxing since Andre Ward won a gold medal in 2004. It is expected that Stevenson will elect to turn pro at the conclusion of these Olympic games. It has been reported that he will sign with his idol Floyd Mayweather's promotional banner, Mayweather Promotions. Stevenson has kept mum on his future prospects as he wanted to focus on the gold medal matchup.
Despite the loss, the future is very promising for the Newark, NJ teen native. His silver medal finish only swells the optimism about how well he will fare as a professional fighter. It will certainly add to his marketability once he makes the decision. Stevenson, named after late-rapper Tupac Shakur has already been featured in a Powerade commercial that has been continuously broadcast throughout the Olympic games.