Olympic Boxing 2016: Complete Guide to Rio Tournament

Olympic boxing has gone through a couple of drastic changes ahead of its August 6 debut at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and it seems that the hope is some combination of familiarity and controversy will be the event's selling point.

The major thrust of the changes seems to be the transformation of the amateur game, often criticized for its arcane and difficult to defend—or even understand—scoring system, into something that more closely approximates the professional ranks. 

That's why male fighters will compete in these Games without protective headgear and the scoring system, which produced so many controversial and even flat ridiculous verdicts, will be something that followers of professional boxing can both follow and understand. 

You'll even see a couple of pros this time around.

Men and women from 75 nations will compete for a chance at boxing gold, so let's try and set you up for all the competition in this complete guide to boxing at the Rio Games.

Overview and History

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Fans have had a complicated relationship with Olympic boxing for the better part of the last decade or so, and it's not difficult to pinpoint some of the reasons why. 

The United States has traditionally done well in this event. Uncle Sam's athletes have traveled around the globe and collected 110 overall medals at the Games in the sweet science, including 50 golds, good for a 43-medal lead over second-place Cuba. 

But before you break out your American flag sweatpants, the U.S. is in a funk. Andre Ward was the last American male to capture an Olympic gold medal, and he did it more than a decade ago at the 2004 Athens Games in Greece. A lot of the U.S. drought can be attributed to sagging interest in the amateur game.

Hence the AIBA's decision to remove headgear and replace the blind-leading-the-deaf scoring system that arbitrarily counted punches in favor of something like the 10-point-must system that fans understand and fighters hope will provide fewer head-scratching decisions. 

Olympic boxing is still a big deal.

Vasyl Lomachenko and Anthony Joshua both won gold medals in 2012 at the London Games, and each man used those performances as a springboard to stardom in the professional ranks. One is viewed among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, and the other is a heavyweight champion looked at by many as the future of his division.

The Schedule

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Fans of Olympic boxing will have something to watch every day of the Rio Games.

The competition kicks off with preliminary-round action August 6 and continues until the conclusion of the Games on August 21.

AIBA has a complete schedule of all events, which you can watch live on NBC, NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports app.

Top Storylines

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Pros vs. amateurs?

AIBA took heat from all quarters in boxing when it announced earlier this year that it would allow professional boxers to qualify and compete for the first time at the Rio Games. The WBC promised suspensions for fighters in its ranks who compete, the IBF soon followed suit and the decision was panned as dangerous.

Only three pros, former middleweight titlist Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam of Cameroon, former flyweight titlist Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand and unheralded Italian featherweight Carmine Tommasone, took the bait to compete at the Games. So much for the all-star tournament AIBA was hoping for Rio.

Can the women steal the spotlight?

Women's boxing made its debut at the 2012 London Games, and all three gold-medal winners will be back in the ring to defend their hardware in Rio.

Great Britain's Nicola Adams, Ireland's Katie Taylor and American Claressa Shields will each take their shot in competitions that feature even more depth than the inaugural tournament.

Shields remains a heavy favorite to repeat in the women's middleweight division, but both Adams and Taylor will face stiff challenges on their way back to the podium. They can both get there, but the road is going to be tougher this time around.

Can an American man capture gold?

USA Boxing has produced some of the greatest fighters of all time. Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya, Riddick Bowe, Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward have come out of this system, most with Olympic gold medals. 

The United States men's team failed to medal for the first time in its Olympic history in London, but a group led by 19-year-old rising star Shakur Stevenson looks like it could end that drought in Brazil.

Can't-Miss Events

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Men's bantamweight gold-medal match, August 20

The best shot for an American man to capture gold comes in the bantamweight division where Stevenson, a highly rated prospect from Newark, New Jersey, who remains unbeaten in international competition, will compete. He's a fighter with a real chance to make a name for himself and could do so in a big way by becoming USA Boxing's first male gold medalist since 2004.

Women's middleweight gold-medal match, August 21

Shields is probably as close to a lock to capture gold in Rio as any athlete in this competition. She's a formidable 5'10" with a solid 165-pound frame and a big punch to match. Her story, a high schooler from Flint, Michigan, one of America's most dangerous cities, who captured the first women's gold medal in boxing history is inspirational. Her second verse should be the same as the first.

Men's light heavyweight gold-medal match, August 18

Cuba captured two gold and two bronze medals at the London Games, which, crazy as it sounds, was a down year for the island nation that clinched eight total boxing medals in each of the two previous Games in 2004 and 2008. Julio Cesar La Cruz was a favorite to capture light heavyweight gold in 2012, but he was upset in the quarters. He's back this time around and figures to compete again as a favorite to medal.

Women's lightweight gold-medal match, August 19

Ireland's Taylor captured gold in this division four years ago, but she's going to have a tough slog if she hopes to repeat that success. American Mikaela Mayer will be one of her toughest competitors. Mayer, a former model, earned her spot by traversing a tricky Americas qualifier tournament this past March in Argentina.

Locks for Gold

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Claressa Shields, United States 

Shields will step into the ring in Rio as the favorite to capture her second Olympic gold medal and become the first American boxer in history to accomplish that feat. She's extremely confident, and with good reason.

“I’m the one that has the bull’s-eye on my back. So it’s kinda exciting to me, you know,” Shields told Katie Couric of Yahoo News. “I’m going to be the first American to win two Olympic gold medals back to back. So I’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

Julio Cesar La Cruz, Cuba

Cruz has done virtually everything in the amateur game short of capturing an Olympic gold medal. He's a three-time gold medalist at the World Amateur Championships and has taken the top spot twice at the Pan American Games. He was a favorite in London before being upset by Falcao Florentino. That won't happen again this time around.

Tony Yoka, France

Yoka, a big-bodied Frenchman, captured a gold medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore and is the world amateur champion in the super heavyweight division. He's got a big frame—running 6'7" and around 230 pounds—and holds an amateur win over highly rated heavyweight prospect Joseph Parker of New Zealand.

Katie Taylor, Ireland

Taylor isn't going to walk her way to a gold medal, but it's a fool's bet to pick against a woman who has won 18 golds in the 19 international competitions she's entered. It's worth noting, however, that she failed to win gold at the Women's World Boxing Championships for the first time this year in Kazakhstan, but that could only motivate her more in Rio.

Dark Horses to Watch

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Mikaela Mayer, United States

Mayer is one of only two American women to qualify for Rio, and she has one of the more interesting and relatable stories at the Games. She went from hard-partying teenager and occasional model with no firm direction in her life to the boxing gym that ultimately landed her a slot on Team USA. She's gritty, determined and a threat to medal in the lightweight division currently ruled by Taylor.

Joe Ward, Ireland

Ward is the reigning European amateur champion and took home a silver medal at the 2015 World Amateur Championships in Doha, Qatar. His big problem, at least in international tournaments, has been Cruz. The Cuban has shut him out both times they've fought and figures to stand in his way again in Rio.

Albert Selimov, Azerbaijan

Selimov is a name that might ring a bell among the hardcore boxing crowd. He's won amateur championships on both the world and regional level while representing Russia, and he is the only fighter to hold an amateur victory over Lomachenko. The Ukrainian avenged that defeat twice, including at the 2008 Beijing Games, but he won't be around to deny Selimov this time.

Potential Breakout Stars

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Shakur Stevenson, United States

Stevenson sports a perfect 23-0 record in international competition and is the must-see American boxer at the Rio Games. He's the best hope on the men's team to capture a gold medal, which would make him the first since Ward a dozen years ago, and he could use the momentum boost from Rio when he turns pro after the Olympics.

Claressa Shields, United States

Not to beat a dead horse here, but Shields appears likely to make history by becoming the first American boxer to capture two Olympic gold medals. That's a testament to her commitment to the sport, and it's a chance for her to put a huge spotlight on the women's game, which is terribly underrepresented.

Gary Russell, United States

Another name that might be familiar to boxing fans. Russell is the younger brother of WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. and fights with a similar style. He's got very fast hands that could help him establish his own name at the Games.

Team USA Outlook

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The American team is a little light this time around.

Team USA Boxing only qualified eight fighters for the Rio Games—six men and two women—and has just two fighters who seem absolute locks to reach the podium. There's a bunch of potential here, but few sure things.

Shields is the story of the women's middleweight division, while Stevenson should make some noise and compete for a medal—possibly even gold—at bantamweight where the competition is expected to be stiff, even for a fighter who looks like a potential future star. 

Mayer looks like she could compete at lightweight, but her path to a gold medal is a tricky one and runs through Taylor, who doesn't lose much at this level. 

Overall, the rest of the team is a crapshoot that has some potential but isn't likely to factor in the medal count.

We're going to say that Shields defends her gold, Stevenson becomes the first American man since Ward to capture gold and Mayer snags a bronze to give the U.S. three overall boxing medals.

Predictions for the Biggest Boxing Stars

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Shakur Stevenson, United States

Winning Olympic gold is never easy, and Stevenson comes to Rio with a lot of weight and expectations on his young shoulders following Team USA's failure to put a man on the podium in London and lack of golds since 2004. Some fighters see pressure while others see opportunity. The namesake of late American rapper Tupac Shakur is the latter, and he'll take home a gold medal.

Julio Cesar La Cruz, Cuba

Cruz will finally add the one international accomplishment that has eluded him and become the latest in a long line of Cubans to bring Olympic gold medals back to the island. He was stung by an upset in London, but he shouldn't fall into that trap again. 

Claressa Shields, United States

Possibly the easiest tournament to predict. Anything less than gold for Shields would be a true shocker.

Katie Taylor, Ireland

You don't win 18 gold medals in 19 international competitions if you aren't a good fighter. Taylor is the favorite to repeat with a second Olympic gold, but the enhanced competition level in this second go around of women's boxing at the Games will test her. She will have enough to get it done, though.