Dominican loser in awe of Olympic champion

World and Olympic lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko cantered into the Olympic boxing quarter-finals here on Thursday after toying with Dominican opponent Wellington Arias. The 24-year-old - who enjoys rock star status in Ukraine - showed no signs of rustiness, having had a bye into the second round as top seed, as he won 15-3 with his gametaking a standing count in each of the first two rounds. Lomachenko, who would have pursued a career in ice hockey had he not been steered towards the sweet science by his boxing coach father, declined to speak to journalists after his emphatic win. However, Arias wasn't so reticent as he expressed his admiration for his opponent. "It was an experience I will never forget, and serve me well for Rio de Janeiro (2016). I'm going to start preparing for these Games from tomorrow," said Arias. "If I had to repeat the fight with him, I wouldn't be so immobile. He gave me good shots because I did not move much. I lost against the best."