Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba has beaten Joseph Diaz Jnr of the United States to advance to the quarter-finals of the Olympic bantamweight tournament.
The fighters looked evenly matched in the early sparring, with both men looking to size each other up with the jab.
It was Diaz who landed the first meaningful shot of the bout - a nice left-right combination.
A high-scoring first round ended with the Cuban 7-6 in front, but the American made a better start in the second round, getting through with a decent straight left.
Diaz was the man pressing the issue but, despite seemingly getting the better of his opponent in the second, found himself trailing by four heading into the final three minutes.
Alvarez found some success on the back foot, but Diaz came on strongly as the round wore on. However, he could not cut his deficit and dropped a 21-15 decision
Michael Penkman
