By GREG BEACHAM
VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — Two-time gold medal-winning boxer Arlen López of Cuba was eliminated by Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine on Sunday night in the 80-kilogram semifinals at the Paris Olympics.
López fell short in his bid to join Hungary’s Laszlo Papp and fellow Cubans Teófilo Stevenson and Félix Savón as the only three-time Olympic boxing gold medalists. López will win bronze instead.
López lost 3:2 in an outstanding fight with Khyzhniak, a silver medalist in Tokyo. López and Khyzhniak are arguably the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the Paris field, and they put on a show worthy of their talents at the North Paris Arena.
The 29-year-old Khyzhniak started slowly, but then showed off the full force of his peerless power and pressure in the final two rounds. The Ukrainian powerhouse walked down López repeatedly with combinations and sweeping blows, while López answered with quick hands and counterpunches.
López led 20-18 on two cards heading to the final round, with Khyzhniak up 20-18 on a third. Khyzhniak was relentless in the last three minutes, and he won the round on all five cards to take the decision. The fighters both threw punches after the final bell, and Khyzhniak’s late right hand prompted López to stand staring while Khyzhniak walked to his corner.
The fighters didn’t shake hands before the verdict, but briefly hugged afterward. They had never fought before, since Khyzhniak competed in Tokyo in the now-eliminated 75-kilogram Olympic division.
The 31-year-old López was hoping to match Olympic history while boosting the Cuban team, which will head home from Paris with two medals — its fewest at an Olympics since 1968.
Cuba could still win one gold medal: Erislandy Álvarez will be in the men’s 63.5-kg final after beating Georgia’s Lasha Guruli 5:0 in the bout before López met Khyzhniak.
Khyzhniak, one of the most feared amateur boxers of his generation, has nearly secured his redemption three years after his shocking loss in Tokyo.
The Ukrainian steamrolled into the middleweight finals in the Tokyo tournament and took a big lead on Brazil’s Hebert Sousa after two rounds of the last bout. But Khyzhniak’s aggressive mentality wouldn’t allow him to sit back in the final minute of his victory, allowing Sousa to have the opportunity to knock him down with one spectacular punch — and the referee abruptly waved off the fight, consigning Khyzhniak to silver.
Khyzhniak has not lost a fight since that setback in Tokyo, going 24-0 before winning three straight fights in Paris.
Khyzhniak will fight Nurbek Oralbay of Kazakhstan in the 80-kilo final on Wednesday night at Roland Garros.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
