RIO DE JANEIRO _ Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez won a split-decision victory over Shakur Stevenson in the Olympic bantamweight boxing final Saturday, denying the U.S. its first men's gold medal in the sport since 2004.
Ramirez, 22, danced into the half-full arena wearing a big smile and gesticulating to the crowd. The 19-year-old Stevenson, meanwhile, was all business.
But Ramirez started quickly and had the U.S. fighter backpedaling early in the opening round.
Stevenson tried to use a long, looping right to create some distance, but Ramirez slipped under it to land several hard, straight heads to the upper body. When the bell sounded at the end of the round, Ramirez smiled and shook his head at Stevenson.
Stevenson recovered to take the second round, going inside in an effort to take the sting away from Ramirez's combinations. But the Cuban, an Olympic champion four years ago as a flyweight, was simply too quick and polished for Stevenson. And with 30 seconds left he caught the American near the ropes, unleashing a series of punches. Though none did any damage, the flurry may have been enough to decide the fight.
The silver medal for Stevenson is the highest Olympic prize won by a U.S. male boxer since 2004, when Andre Ward captured the light-heavyweight title. And Claressa Shields' medal, combined with Nico Hernandez's bronze in the light flyweight division, make the Rio Olympics the most productive for USA Boxing since Athens, when the U.S. also won two medals.
Saturday's fight was just the third of the Games for Stevenson _ and his first in four days _ after Russian Vladimir Nikitin was unable to answer the bell in the quarterfinals because of injury.
Stevenson won his first two bouts by unanimous decision.
