Prince George's County Olympian Wins 1st Boxing Match at 2016 Rio Games

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD — A local man has just scored the first Olympic win ever out of all the boxers in his family. Gary Antuanne Russell of Capitol Heights, Md., defeated Haiti's Richardson Hitchins in a unanimous judges' decision, allowing him to advance to the round of 16 in the light-welterweight division.

Things had come around full circle for the two fighters. It was Russell's defeat of Hitchins at the U.S. Olympic trials that prompted Hitchins to decide to fight for his parents' native Haiti at the Olympics instead, according to media reports.

The 20-year-old, who is competing in his first Olympics, was the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion and the 2014 National Golden Gloves champion. His family is all about boxing: his older brother, Gary Russell Jr., was a 2008 U.S. Olympian in boxing -- but never won a match -- and two of his other brothers are also boxers. All four of them have won National Golden Gloves, the first family of four brothers to do so.

Russell's next fight is scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. EST.

Image via TeamUSA.org.