A nearly unanimous decision put U.S. boxer Oshae Jones through to the women's welterweight semifinals while two highly touted compatriots were eliminated Friday at the Tokyo Olympics.
Jones won the first two rounds on all five scorecards against Maria Moronta of the Dominican Republic but was denied a unanimous decision when one judge gave the last round as a 10-8 to Moronta.
The losing semifinalists in boxing receive bronze medals, so Jones is guaranteed at least a bronze.
Men's welterweight Delante Johnson had a tough draw in the tournament and ran up against four-time Olympian and two-time medalist Roniel Iglesias of Cuba. Johnson, the 2016 world youth champion at lightweight, dropped a unanimous decision, losing 30-27 on three judges' cards and 29-28 on the other two.
Rashida Ellis suffered a bizarre loss to British lightweight Caroline Dubois, getting a point deducted in the third round for allegedly punching when the action was stopped, a blow that Dubois appeared to oversell. Dubois already led on two of the five judges' scorecards, both of which would've gone in Dubois' favor barring a 10-8 round for Ellis. Two other judges scored it 28-28, which means Ellis would've won on their cards without the deduction. The fifth judge was the only one to give the third round to Dubois.
Ellis, a bronze medalist in the 2019 World Championships, has two brothers, Rashidi and Ronald, who have fought professionally. Dubois, the 2018 world youth champion and Youth Olympic Games gold medalist, also has an older brother who fights professionally.
