Wichita’s Nico Hernandez surprising everyone in Olympic boxing — just not himself

The morning Nico Hernandez was set to box in the 2016 Olympics, he woke up in Rio de Janeiro to a Timehop message on his Facebook from four years ago.

“I will be in the 2016 Olympics,” Hernandez wrote on Aug. 6, 2012. “Comment if you think I’m wrong or right so I can prove you wrong.”

It reminded Hernandez how long he’s been proving naysayers wrong and how he was prepared to continue as an unseeded boxer in the light flyweight bracket.

True to his word, Hernandez has surprised the boxing world with two straight victories, including upending No. 2 seed Vailii Egorov of Russia to reach Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The 20-year-old North High graduate will face Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo Pilataxi, 26, at 3:15 p.m. Central time Wednesday.

“I really do believe I’m one of the best here,” Hernandez wrote to The Eagle via Facebook on Tuesday. “(Winning) definitely made me believe that more, but when I posted that Facebook status four years ago, I really did push myself to make it here. I always believed I would do it, it was just a matter of putting in the work and staying dedicated.”

Lewis Hernandez, Nico’s father, has been adamant his son was capable of winning gold. But that doesn’t lessen the impact his wins have on Lewis.

“Me and my wife have both cried after the fights,” Lewis said in a phone call in Rio. “We’re so excited for him; everything that is happening is almost unreal. We’re just in awe of him. It’s something very big to even win one fight in the Olympics. A lot of big names haven’t done that and they don’t look at Nico as a big name.

“If Nico fights his fight, with talent as big as his, I really do believe he can win the gold. He’s got the tools to do it.”

National media outlets, such as Yahoo!, have picked up on Hernandez’s story. Hernandez said he is appreciative of the support on social media from fans back home and is amazed by the footage of watch parties hosted at Cortez Mexican Restaurant for his bouts. He’s excited to bring boxing in Kansas, and more importantly Wichita, the kind of exposure it’s not often seen.

“I know everyone back home in the 316 is rooting for me and I just want to thank everyone for the support,” Hernandez wrote.

Lewis Hernandez said the attention is well-deserved and makes him a proud father, but the coach in him worries about the potential distractions. So he has joined the U.S. coaches to provide a unified message to his son: Treat this like any other tournament and treat each opponent with respect.

While Cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos, the No. 1 seed and now prohibitive favorite, remains, Egorov and Ireland’s Paddy Barnes — two of the bracket’s top three seeds — have been eliminated. A win would put Hernandez in the semifinals and guarantee at least a bronze medal.

“You can’t think like, ‘This is the Olympics and I’ve got to medal,’ ” Lewis Hernandez said. “It can be very overwhelming, so I’ve tried to put him in the mindset where he looks at everything like a regular tournament. Don’t overthink things, take it one fight at a time, and go fight your fight.”

Hernandez showed his versatility in Monday’s win over Egorov. Known as a “banger,” as Lewis Hernandez describes him, Nico Hernandez typically fights forward and brings the action to his opponent. He figured that’s what Egorov would be expecting, so instead he sat back and baited the Russian to come after him. The plan was executed perfectly, as Egorov was forced to overextend himself and Hernandez capitalized with well-timed strikes that earned him the unanimous decision.

As for Wednesday’s fight against Pilataxi, Hernandez already has a game plan formulated against a fighter he admittedly doesn’t know much about.

But the thing with Hernandez is it doesn’t really matter who is in front of him, his mind is still fixated on one thought.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, during my matches I think of it as my opponent is trying to take away from my family,” Hernandez wrote. “The more I win, the more I have to provide. So if I don’t win, then I’ll have less to provide for my family.

“I just have to be myself (Wednesday) and fight smart and I believe I will win.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Wichita’s Nico Hernandez surprising everyone in Olympic boxing — just not himself."