TOKYO — Toledo native Oshae Jones’ quest for Olympic gold began on the right foot Tuesday, as the 23-year-old claimed a split-decision victory in her second-round match against Mexico‘s Brianda Cruz.
Seeded third of 16 boxers in the women’s 69-kilogram (152-pound) welterweight division, Jones improved in each of the fight’s three rounds in what seemed looked to be lopsided win against Cruz, the 2019 Pan American Games bronze medalist.
But when the final scorecards came in, only three of the fight’s five judges gave Jones the nod.
“I didn’t think it was that close, but I’m happy just to go to the next round,” Jones said after the match.
Jones will return to the ring for Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals against a familiar face in Maria Moronta of the Dominican Republic. The two last boxed in the 2019 Pan American semifinals, where Jones won a split decision.
Wearing all red against the blue-clad Cruz, the Scott High School grad Jones wasted no time getting to work at the Kokugikan Arena in northeast Tokyo — an area that normally houses Japan’s most important sumo wrestling bouts. Jones opened the fight opponent with a clean right jab to the face of her southpaw opponent, then connected with two more rights in the first 15 seconds.
Cruz retaliated with a pair of glancing left hooks, but Jones was able to fend off most of the Mexican’s punches. She took the opening round, 4-1.
Veteran USA Boxing coach Billy Walsh said he felt the match was off to a decent start after Round 1. But he told Jones during the minute-long break after the round that he needed to see more.
“I just told her to be more aggressive with the jab,” Walsh said. “We also saw [Cruz] was leaving her body open.”
Jones heeded her coach’s advice in the second round, immediately connecting on a left jab to Cruz’s body to open Round 2. She then landed a right to the face, and shortly after a big left upper cut that brought cheers from other boxers sitting in the stands. Jones seemed to have Cruz’s left completely figured out by halfway through the second, and settled into a comfortable rhythm.
At the second break, Cruz’s coach could be heard telling her in Spanish that she needed to go on the attack.
But by the third and final round, Cruz was visibly fatigued. Knowing she had ground to make up, she came out swinging — to no avail. After Jones delivered a right to the head, the tiring Cruz wrapped the Soul City boxer with her arms to rest before the official separated the two. After blocking a left to the head and another to the ribs, Jones delivered a late-round jab of her own to essentially seal the fight.
“I definitely felt like I was in better shape,” Jones said. “By the third round, I thought she was tired.”
The final scores came in 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 and 27-30. Judges from Romania, Russia and Kazakhstan scored in favor of Jones, while judges from Australia and Colombia gave Cruz the nod.
First Published July 27, 2021, 11:38 a.m.
