Imam Khataev kept the momentum going for independent Olympic team ROC, blowing past Morocco’s Mohamed Assaghir to win via RSC (Referee Stops Contest) in the third round.
Khataev was credited with knockdowns in all three rounds. Assaghir was issued two standing eight counts in the opening round, was forced to a knee in round two and issued two more counts in the final frame before the bout was stopped at 1:30 of round three.
A far tougher test awaits Khataev, who next faces Bekzad Nurdauletov (Kazakhstan), the number-one seed at light heavyweight. They will meet Wednesday, July 28.
Daxiang Chen (China) worked hard to get past Shabbos Negmatulloev (Tajikistan). Scores suggested an easier time than was actually the case, as Chen won 30-26, 29-27, 29-27 and 29-27 with judge Yaroslav Renev (Russia) scoring the contest 28-28 even.
Negmatulloev was deducted one point in round two for roughhouse tactics, though it proved inconsequential in the end. Meanwhile, Chen will face Keno Machado (Brazil) in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, July 28.
The light heavyweight bracket is one of three on the men’s side to not feature a representative from the United States.
STILL SCHEDULED
Benjamin Whittaker (Great Britain) vs. Jorge Luis Vivas (Colombia)
Mohammed Houmri (Algeria) vs. Nalek Korbaj Barrera (Venezuela)
Luka Plantic (Croatia) vs. Odai Riyad Adel Alhindawi (Jordan)
Emmet Brennan (Ireland) vs. Dilshod Ruzmetov (Uzbekistan)
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for @BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox