Stevenson advances to boxing final after Nikitin ruled out

(Photo: The Associated Press)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — U.S. boxer Shakur Stevenson reached the Olympic bantamweight final by walkover Thursday after Russian semifinal opponent Vladimir Nikitin was ruled out with an injury.

When Stevenson fights Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez on Saturday, he will win either gold or silver, the first of either medal for American men since Andre Ward's gold in 2004.

"I always want to fight, but once I found out I wasn't fighting (Nikitin), I kind of liked it," Stevenson said. "I can use the extra days off. Once I found out I wasn't fighting, I just kept moving to Saturday."

Ramirez, the London Olympics gold medalist at flyweight, advanced with a masterful victory over…