Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Day 7 Preview
by Brian Taylor, USA Boxing
Day seven will see the final member of Team USA, Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) make her international debut, while our two welterweights, Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) and Delante Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio), will look for a win in their quarterfinal bouts to secure Team USA’s first medals of these Olympic Games.
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Rashida Ellis vs. Caroline Dubois/GBR – Session 1, Bout 3 (Approx. 10:30 p.m. EST)
After six long days of competition and cheering on her teammates, 2019 World Championship bronze medalist Rashida Ellis will get to make her Olympic Games debut against Great Britain’s Caroline Dubois.
Ellis ranks 15th in the Boxing Task Force Rankings (BTF) due to her World Championships medal and her bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, while Dubois is ranked tied for 10th, and qualified to these Games with a second-place finish at the European Olympic Qualification Tournament.
While Ellis has had success at the elite level, Dubois had great success during her youth days, winning both the 2018 Youth World Championships and Youth Olympic Games in the lightweight division. Dubois does have one win under her belt, a 5-0 decision against Kosovo in the first round of competition.
These two boxers are familiar with each other, as they have trained together at numerous international training camps over the years and should set up an exciting bout to start Team USA’s day.
Oshae Jones vs. Maria Moronta/DOM – Session 2, Bout 5 (Approx. 5:00 a.m. EST)
Jones will face another America’s boxer, Maria Moronta of the Dominican Republic, in her quarterfinal’s bout. Jones and Moronta met in the semifinals of the 2019 Pan American Games, where Jones came out victorious by way of a 4-1 decision.
Moronta began these Games will a 5-0 victory over Canada’s Myriam Da Silva Rondeau, while Jones won her opening bout against Brianda Cruz of Mexico by a 3-2 decision.
Delante Johnson vs. Roniel Iglesias/CUB – Session 2, Bout 7 (Approx. 5:30 a.m. EST)
Johnson will face a familiar rival in Cuba’s Roniel Iglesias, who he last fought during the 2019 Pan American Games semifinals. Iglesias took a 4-1 decision to give Johnson the bronze, but the welterweight will now look to continue his impressive run in Tokyo to secure a medal for Team USA.
Johnson has picked up two victories thus far in Tokyo, including a 3-2 over Argentina in the opening round, followed by a 4-1 decision victory against Kazakhstan in the round of 16. Iglesias, who is ranked seventh in the BTF rankings, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Japan’s Quincy Okazawa, 3-2, in the round of 16.