A teen from Prince George’s County, Maryland may have been the valedictorian of his senior class, but he has his sights set on Rio. Gary Antuanne Russell decided not to accept a scholarship to attend the University of Maryland in order to train for this summer’s Olympics.

The decision paid off. Antuanne has advanced to a May tournament which will put him one step closer to qualifiying.

Antuanne comes from the Russell boxing family. His oldest brother, Gary Jr., is the current WBC featherweight champion, and he qualified for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 before being disqualified when he didn’t meet the weight requirement. Antuanne would be the first in his family to qualify for the Olympics.

Antuanne trains with Gary Jr., and two more of his older brothers, Gary III and Gary Antonio twice a day in their family gym, Enigma. His father, Gary Sr. was also an aspiring boxer before he was shot in a hunting accident and afterwards dedicated his time to coaching.

Fun fact: Antuane’s parents had a pact that his mother could name all the girls they had if he could name the boys, and he named them all after himself.

On how he compares to the other members of his family, Antuanne remains modest about his pending success. “I’m not the best one, but I have the opportunity to be the best because I’ve seen everything unfold in front of me,” he said.

The 19-year-old believes that he is Rio-bound, saying, “At this point, I have nothing to lose. Everything else goes out the window as far as doubt and questioning. I can’t go to war with myself and go to the war being in the ring with someone else.”

We hope Gary will make it to Rio. We’ll be at home cheering in front of our TV screens like…

We hope Gary will make it to Rio. We’ll be at home cheering in front of our TV screens like…

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