By Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO (Reuters) – For boxing’s Team USA there’s no such thing as a quiet fight – even in a spectator-less Tokyo Olympics arena.
At U.S. featherweight Duke Ragan’s round-of-16 match against Kazakhstan’s Serik Ktemirzhanov on Wednesday his team mates made him feel like he was fighting back home, howling cheers from the nosebleed seats of the Kokugikan arena.
“Bring it up!”
“Speed!”
“You’re too strong!”
“30 seconds!” came the cries in the arena, usually crowded with sumo wrestling fans, but empty of public spectators due to COVID-19.
Ragan, who won unanimously, said his team mates gave him motivation and energy, especially knowing that he couldn’t have his family there.
“They’re rooting for you to do better, finish hard, finish strong, they’re counting the seconds for you… same thing the coach is saying, they’re doing too.”
From the ring, Ragan said, he could make out the owner of each shouts.
“I heard Keyshawn Davis, Delante Johnson, Oshae Jones, Richard Torrez,” he replied when asked which voices he heard.
“Do you want me to name everybody?”
Ragan said he would be doing the same when his team mates’ enter the ring.
Did it feel like a home crowd?
“Yeah, because they’re very loud,” he said, chuckling. “They’re louder than what my family would be. My family would be biting on their nails and nervous, so yeah.”
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Michael Perry)
