Brazilian boxing tough-man Robson Conceição said raucous support from the crowd at Riocentro 6 helped steer him to victory in his opening fight at Rio 2016.

The man from Bahia said his push toward Olympic gold in the -60kg category is inspired also by Rafaela Silva, the Brazilian judoka who won the country’s first gold medal at the Games. 

“Without a doubt, Rafaela Silva is more than an inspiration," said Conceição, who fights in the professional league of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). "A girl from the favela, who started from the bottom, like I did. She is an example, an inspiration for me to win a gold, the same medal she won.” 

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His next opponent at Rio 2016 is Uzbekistan's Hurshid Tojibaev, against who Conceição has one defeat and one victory. “He’s a really difficult opponent, tough. But I’ve been training more now than I had on the other occasions,” the 27-year-old said. “I am very focused. I’ve disconnected from social media, everything. I stay in my room as well, without watching the other fights or other sports, just with a little game here or there, so that I don’t lose focus.”

In his opening match, his opponent Anvar Yunusov had an injured right hand but decided to enter the ring nonetheless. The Tajik fighter tried to avoid direct confrontation during the bout, hoping to mount a surprise, but Conceição quickly took the upper hand, leaving Yunusov with no chance. With the Yusunov throwing in the towel shortly after the first round, Robson claimed victory via a technical knockout decision.

Mateus Alves, one of the three Brazilian coaches at Rio 2016 said of the fight: “It was a good contest without being too intense, getting rid of the tension of the first fight. The next fight against the Uzbek will be tough, but Robson is looking forward to facing him. And he continues to be very focused.”

Check out the calendar for boxing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games