RENO, Nev. (AP) — Antonio Vargas never had a cut in his boxing life until blood trickled down his forehead Wednesday during his most important bout.
The touted flyweight fought through the surprise and pain, but his Olympic dreams were imperiled when he lost a split decision at the U.S. team trials.
“It happened so fast,” Vargas said. “It was just a clash of heads. I had that fight, man.”
Vargas didn’t blame his loss on the blood, but facial cuts are a growing problem worldwide for Olympic-style boxers fighting for places in Rio de Janeiro at the first Olympics since the International Boxing Association (AIBA) decided male boxers will no longer wear protective headgear.