Wichita’s Hernandez prepares for second-round bout

Nico Hernandez’s run from Wichita to a possible medal in Olympic boxing encounters a crucial round of 16 bout on Monday in Rio de Janeiro.

Vasilii Egorov, Russia’s 22-year-old who was second at the 2015 world championships and won the 2015 European championships, is Hernandez’s opponent.

Egorov is the second seed in the Olympic tournament for light flyweights (108 pounds) and received a bye into the second round. Hernandez didn’t receive a bye and defeated Italy’s Manuel Cappai with strong second and third rounds.

“It was a rough fight, a lot of clinching, but it was my first right in the ring getting the rust off,” Hernandez said. “I will definitely look better in my next fight.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2016 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Wichita’s Hernandez prepares for second-round bout."