Brazilian boxer hopes to spoil Shakur Stevenson’s Olympic debut

RIO DE JANEIRO — One of the great prospects coming up in U.S. boxing, 19-year-old Shakur Stevenson makes his Olympic debut Saturday morning in Rio de Janeiro, and he has to beat an experienced Brazilian to move to the quarterfinals.

Fighting his third Olympics, Robenílson de Jesus dispatched Fahem Hammachi from Algeria in his first bout last Wednesday, and sees no favoritism in his clash with the American.

“There are no favorites inside the ring. It’s youth against experience,” de Jesus said. “I’m 28 and I’m fighting at home in this Olympics. That’s something that motivates me even more to get the victory.”

De Jesus enters his second bout in three days, while Stevenson enters fresh after getting a bye. However, the Brazilian sees that as an advantage for him.

“I think it’s an issue (for him) that he is coming for his first bout,” de Jesus said. “He will feel the nerves, and I’m fighting at home.”

Coming off a win via split decision, de Jesus admits that he didn’t study Hammachi’s game that much. In fact, he was already eyeing his three-round fight with the talented American.

“He’s a southpaw, and I already studied his game,” said the Brazilian. “I studied him more than my first opponent, actually. I think it is going to be a great fight, everybody will enjoy it. It should be in the final because we’re high level athletes, but I will be ready to win and get a medal next. The level is so high that every fight is like a final. It’s one tough fight after the other, step by step.”

When de Jesus entered the cage for his first bout, the reaction of the crowd made him remember his old days as a soccer player.

Born in a small town called Boa Vista do Tupim, located 215 miles away from Salvador, capital of Bahia, de Jesus got involved with sports after watching his father Renilson play for Guarani. He wanted to follow his footsteps and become a soccer star, but getting into the sport was easier said than done.

De Jesus was a talented kid, but was rejected the first three times he tried out for Vitoria’s youth team, one of the top two soccer clubs in Bahia. The fourth time he showed up at the Vitoria training center, he was finally approved by the coaches.

“My father wanted me to play soccer, but I needed four tests to be approved,” de Jesus said. “He used to play for Guarani, and I had a few photos and a VHS tape of his matches. I looked up to him. I wanted to be like him.”

His dream didn’t last long, though, as a tragedy ended his father’s life. Renilson died after being hit by a car, and that was devastating news for the family.

“I decided to leave soccer. I quit school as well,” he said. “I even had an invitation to play soccer in Japan, but I was too young and my mother didn’t let me travel alone.”

De Jesus wanted to leave everything in the past, but it was tough to move on. His life only changed when a close friend invited him to box. He had fun punching people in the face, and ended up signing up at a local gym to learn more about the art.

“Three months later, I became state champion in Bahia,” de Jesus said. “I competed in São Paulo, and ended up fighting to a draw with a member of Brazil’s national boxing team in a tournament, and was invited to join the team in 2005. I had no idea how tough boxing was. When I first started, I thought it would be easier than soccer.”

The kid that wanted to follow his father’s footsteps had a new goal in life, but it took him two years to finally realize that it would be possible to make a living through boxing. De Jesus earned a spot in the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, and that changed everything for him.

“When I entered the Pan-American Village, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” he said. “I was so nervous and anxious I couldn’t even eat. Athletes that I only saw through the TV were sitting next to me, having lunch with me, and that made me too anxious.”

De Jesus has fought, but failed to medal, at both the Beijing and London Olympics. As he pursues his first medal in his third Olympic Games, he feels this is the time and place for it. Back to the same city where he realized boxing was his future, the Brazilian bantamweight believes he’s at a different level now.

“I will be ready to face anyone in Rio like I did in London, when I fought three world champions and beat two,” he said. “I’ve evolved a lot since London because I fought a semi-pro league and learned a lot from it. They changed the rules for this Olympics, and we have to adapt to the changes. I’m more experienced now, and winning a medal in Rio is my biggest dream.

“No matter the color of the medal, I just want to get the job done. I want to be a positive inspiration for other athletes and up-and-comers, and be a positive figure for Brazil.”