By Ryan Maquiñana

Heavyweight Michael Hunter won his opening bout at the 2012 Americas Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, advancing with a 14-5 decision over St. Lucia’s Ryan Charles.  The 201-pounder from Las Vegas will take on Nicaragua’s Marcio Figueroa in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.  Hunter needs a top three finish to punch his ticket to London.

Light welterweight Jamel Herring faces Bolivia’s Juan Loayza later on tonight.  The Camp Lejeune-based Marine from Coram, N.Y., needs a top five finish in the 141-pound division to cement his Olympic trip.

Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly boxing column for CSNBayArea.com.  He is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

Tags: Amateur Boxing