NEWS » passed up the c

The split-decision loss in the action-packed Olympic bantamweight gold-medal fight was so crushing to the U.S.s Shakur Stevenson on Saturday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro that he could barely speak in the minutes afterward.During his live interview on NBC right after he left the ring following his loss to Cubas brilliant Robeisy Ramirez -- who won his second gold medal in a row following his 2012 flyweight championship at the 2012 London Olympics -- Stevenson broke down. After choking up while barely answering a couple of questions, he began sobbing almost uncontrollably before putting his head in a towel and walking away.The raw emotion was a stark change from the joyful, smiling Stevenson the world had seen during his run to the Olympic final in the 123-pound weight division.The 19-year-old Stevenson, of Newark, New Jersey, was consoled in the dressing room by family members, as well as middleweight teammate Claressa Shields, who won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal on Sunday afternoon.Stevenson took a few minutes to compose himself, changed and headed back out to the ring for the medal ceremony, where he received a silver. It is the best finish by a male boxer from the United States since Andre Ward, who happens to be Stevensons favorite fighter, won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games.When Stevenson, who showed class by not disputing the decision, collected himself as he spoke about his postfight emotion and in more detail about the loss.When I came through (the interview area near ringside), I was crushed, I was hurt, Stevenson said. I hate losing more than anything. Im disappointed in myself. Much respect to Cubas Robeisy Ramirez. He did what he to do and I took my loss. I feel like a let a lot of people down. Im disappointed in myself but Im going to come back stronger.The fight was fought at an extremely high level. Ramirez won the first round on all three scorecards, Stevenson got the second round on all three and Ramirez edged the third. Overall, Ramirez landed slightly more punches and threw slightly more punches. It was the recipe for his victory.I knew it was a close fight, Stevenson said. I didnt feel it was my best performance so I wasnt surprised (by the decision). In the last round, I could have thrown more punches instead of trying to outbox him. I had a plan, I knew he was going to come at me because everyone told me it was 1-1 so I was going to try to box him from the outside but it didnt work. I dont think he hit me but he threw a lot of punches in the last round and pulled it out I guess.Right now, Im crushed. Im disappointed in myself. I knew I could have done better. I have to go look at the tape and see what I did wrong. I had a game plan to try to outbox him the last round because I knew he was going to come forward and it didnt work.Stevenson is the apple of many promoters eyes and figures to cash in with a lucrative professional contract in the coming months. He has almost certainly fought his final amateur bout, so he said he hopes that someday he and Ramirez can meet again in the pro ranks, where there would be a lot of money on the line, not just pride.Hopefully, they will allow Cubans to go to the pros because I definitely want to fight him again, said Stevenson, who became the first U.S. bantamweight to win an Olympic medal since Clarence Vinson claimed a bronze in the 2000 Sydney Games.Floyd Mayweather made an appearance in Rio to watch Stevenson in his quarterfinal match (he wound up with a walkover in the semifinals because Russian opponent Vladimir Nikitin was injured in his quarterfinal match and withdrew from the tournament) and even did an interview with a handful of reporters with Stevenson standing at his side. He spoke glowingly of Stevensons professional potential and said he thought he was the next Floyd Mayweather, leading to heavy speculation that Stevenson had already aligned himself with Mayweather Promotions.However, Stevenson set the record straight after his loss Saturday, saying he is leaving his pro options open.I havent signed with anybody so Im going to go home and look at my options, he said. Custom Nike Oakland Athletics Jerseys . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Custom Nike New York Mets Jerseys . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/ . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Custom Nike Boston Red Sox Jerseys . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation.Ronnie OSullivan says he passed up the chance of a 147 at the Welsh Open, claiming the £10,000 prize money on offer was too cheap. In the final frame of his 4-1 win over Barry Pinches at Cardiffs Motorpoint Arena, the five-time world champion was on course for the 14th maximum of his career having potted 13 reds and blacks.Off the 14th red, though, he played a simple positional shot onto the pink despite having made several audacious shots earlier in the break to return to the black. He duly cleared up for the more unusual feat of a 146 break and an imposing, but beatable, marker for the tournament high-break prize.OSullivan left the arena with a broad grin and then told BBC Wales: I could have got on the black and possibly made a 147. OSullivan did not think the maximum-break prize money was sufficient I knew it was 10 grand and I just thought thats a bit too cheap really.dddddddddddd To make a maxi, its such a massive achievement and if theyre going to pay us 10 grand, I think its worth a bit more than that.Once the prize goes up a bit, Ill go for the 147. A 146 is just as good!The prize for a 147 is calculated on a rollover basis, with £5,000 added to the pot in each tournament. Neil Robertson made the most recent maximum in Decembers UK Championship final, winning £44,000 including the £4,000 prize for the tournament high break. Also See: Photos Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 free Get Sky Sports ' ' '