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BRIDGEPORT, Conn.-- For Brooklyn's Sadam Ali, coming home to fight an Olympic tuneup in Bridgeport, Conn., didn't go the way he anticipated.
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Ali, who will become the first New York City boxer to qualify for the Olympics since Riddick Bowe in 1988, got a lesson in counterpunching from Brazil's Everton Lopez on Friday night.
Ali, one of four members of the U.S. Olympic team at the event, dropped a 17-12 decision to Lopez in USA Boxing's Olympic Invitational at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
In addition to Ali, light flyweight Luis Yanez, featherweight Gary Russell Jr. and heavyweight Deontay Wilder also were on the card.
Ali forced two standing eight counts on Lopes in the fourth and final round but couldn't dig out of an early hole.
"It wasn't me in there tonight," Ali said. "I lost myself in the there. I was leaning in and I felt like I was sloppy."
For Ali, just getting to the Olympics has been a difficult journey.
Ali, a two-time national Golden Gloves champion and the under-19 national champion, nearly had his Olympic dream derailed last year.
Ali tested positive for the banned stimulant cathine at a boxing event in Beijing in November and potentially faced a two-year suspension.
Ali said he was given cough suppressant by his trainer to combat bronchitis and that caused the positive result. Ali went on a voluntary suspension on Nov. 22 and after appealing to the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), the sides agreed on a retroactive three-month suspension. That suspension ended Feb 22. That allowed Ali, the U.S. champion, to participate in the Americas Olympic qualifier in Trinidad and Tobago in March.
Ali qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in March after beating Argentina's Nicolas Cuellar in the semifinals of the Americas qualifier. Ali lost in the championship match to Cuban Vordanis Hernandez.
Now, with his Olympic bid secure, he is getting back to just boxing.
"I have the rest of the summer," Ali said. "I am going to work on everything and learn. This is why we have (exhibitions)."
Wilder, a heavyweight who has only boxed for 2½ years provided the exclamation point to the 11-bout evening with a knockout in the second round against China's Nijiati Yushan. Wilder led with a right hand and finished with a left hook that sent Yushan to the canvas.
At 106 pounds, Yanez earned a 20-10 win over Brazil's Paulo Carvalho. At 125 pounds, Russell used superior hand speed and quickness to overwhelm Brazil's Robson Conceicao.
