U.S. men out of the medal hunt in boxing after Errol Spence loses

LONDON -- It’s not often that a fighter gets a second chance in a single-elimination tournament such as the Olympic Games.

So when Errol Spence’s loss in the second round of these Games was overturned on appeal, earning him a spot in the welterweight quarterfinals, he promised he wouldn’t squander the gift.

“I am going to make the most of this second chance that I’ve been given,” Spece said. On Tuesday he couldn’t make good on that pledge, losing a 16-11 decision to Russian Andrey Zamkovoy.

Spence was the last U.S. male left in the competition and his elimination means the Americans will come home from the Games without a boxing medal for the first time ever.

Spence started slowly Tuesday, losing the first round by a point. He was much more active in the first half of the second round, at one point pinning the Russian against the ropes and pounding away, momentarily knocking his headgear askew.

But Spence wasn’t rewarded by the officials, who had him losing that round by a point as well.

Spence tried to rally again in the closing minute of the fight but Zamkovoy stood his game and punched back.

Spence, a three-time national champion from Desoto, Texas, was originally ruled to have lost his second-round bout to India’s Krishan Vikas, 13-11, Friday.

But the Americans appealed the decision and the Competition Jury, which heard the protest, ruled in Spence’s favor, pointing out two rules violations the referee missed that would have added four points to the American’s score.

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