Sports
Jajaira Gonzalez and Jahmal Harvey aim to revive U.S. reputation in Olympic boxing
There was a time when the U.S. dominated Olympic boxing. In the three Summer Games the Americans took part in between 1976 and 1988, U.S. fighters made the podium in 26 of 35 divisions, winning 17 gold medals.
Among the boxers who won Olympic titles, then went on to win world championships as professionals, were Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael and Leon Spinks and Pernell Whitaker.
But lately? Not so much. The U.S. has won only 10 medals since 2004 — or one fewer than it won in 1984 alone. And Claressa Shields, a two-time women’s middleweight champion, is the only American to strike gold in that span.
That could change this summer. Although none of the eight boxers the U.S. is sending to Paris have fought in the Olympics, at least half are solid medal contenders. Their success will rest in large part on the draw to determine the bracket for each weight class, which is held the night before the first bout.
For women’s lightweight Jajaira Gonzalez and men’s featherweight Jahmal Harvey, it’s unlikely their paths through the brackets will be more challenging than the ones they took to get to Paris in the first place.
For Gonzalez, a three-time world junior champion as a teenager, the Olympics offer an opportunity for redemption after a three-year career pause.
“I was blessed with a second chance that not a lot of people get,” the Glendora native said. “I feel like this was destined for me, like I was supposed to be here.”
Gonzalez was supposed to make her Olympic debut eight years ago in Rio. But she was upset by Mikaela Mayer in the U.S. trials, losing a split decision in the deciding bout and failing to make the team. That started a downward spiral in which Gonzalez began to skip training and saw her mental health deteriorate while she gained 35 pounds.
She hit rock bottom in the 2018 national championship where she lost her first fight. She wouldn’t box again for more than three years.
“It was a lot of mental stuff. I just needed a break,” Gonzalez said. “I used to be the type of person that used to think that mental stuff was, like, weak. Until it happened to me.”
Gonzalez dealt with anxiety attacks, so she started seeing a therapist and keeping a journal. Slowly she began to emerge from what she calls “a very dark time in my life.”
“I’ve grown so much mentally,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been through the worst already. Any little setback that I have now, it’s like I’ve learned from that and it’s easier for me to push it to the side and keep moving forward.
“Instead of staying in that dark hole where I’m just feeling sorry for myself, now I’m like ‘OK, this bad thing happened but how can I make it positive?’ Control what you can control, F what you can’t.”
Jajaira Gonzalez trains with her father, Jose “Chuy” Gonzalez, at the CAPE Fitness gym in La Verne.
(Jill Connelly / For The Times)
That mindset helped push Gonzalez, 27, to a bronze medal at 60 kilograms (132 pounds) at last fall’s Pan American Games. She had started her comeback at 63.5 kilograms (140 pounds) but returned to her old weight after finishing ninth at the 2022 world championships as a super lightweight.
Gonzalez’s father, Jose, was a fighter in his native Mexico, although he didn’t push his children into the sport. But when his two eldest sons fell in love with boxing and asked their father to train them, he chose to make it a family affair, inviting Jajaira to tag along on the trips to the gym.
Now Gonzalez’s family will be following her to Paris, where she hopes to become the first American to medal in the women’s lightweight division. Just stepping into the ring, however, will qualify as a victory given what she has been through.
“I never thought I wouldn’t be boxing again. Boxing’s all I’ve known since I was 8 years old,” she said. “This is my life. This is what I love to do.
“Now that I think about it, now that I look back, I do feel like maybe I was too young. Now that I’m older, I’m more mature. Everything I went through, I feel like it kind of prepared me and I feel like this is my moment now.”
Harvey, who will compete at 57 kilograms (127 pounds) in Paris, was pushed into boxing by Daryl Davis, a former football coach who thought Harvey was too small for the gridiron but knew he was pretty good at fighting.
“He knew that I got into a lot of fights growing up,” Harvey said. “He and my parents grew up together in the same neighborhood, went to the same high school. So when I would get in trouble in school for fighting, he [knew].
“Once he started getting to coach in boxing, he wanted to transfer me over.”
Jahmal Harvey celebrates after defeating Cuba’s Saidel Horta in the men’s 57-kilogram final at the Pan American Games in October.
(Martin Mejia / Associated Press)
That proved to be a pretty good decision since Harvey, who grew up just outside Washington, won his first national Junior Olympics title at 13. Five years later he became the first American male to win a title at the elite world championships since 2007, beating defending world champion Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan in the second round before dispatching Olympians Samuel Kistohurry of France and Serik Temirzhanov of Kazakhstan.
He followed that with a gold medal in the Pan American Games last fall and now Harvey, 21, is considered by many to be the best amateur boxer in the U.S. He’s certainly the best hope to win a medal, although Olympic teammates Joshua Edwards (super heavyweight) and Roscoe Hill (flyweight) have both medaled in international competition and are good bets to make the podium in Paris.
One of the first things Davis taught Harvey when they began working together was that he was safer being punched in the ring than he was being hit on the football field. It wasn’t a lesson the youngster immediately appreciated.
“I didn’t think nothing of boxing. I was always football,” Harvey said.
But he weighed about 85 pounds when he entered high school, which caused him to reconsider.
“I just weighed my options,” he said. “I was like yeah, I really love football. But I’m a realistic person and I know that I can make it way further in boxing than I could in football.
“I just knew boxing would be my sport.”
Yet for all his success, Harvey said his path to Paris was paved with a three-bout losing streak that started six months after his world championship win.
“It was important for me to lose so that I could work on the aspects of my game that I lacked,” said Harvey, who is 59-7 in his career. “And it wasn’t really anything inside the ring. It was everything outside the ring. Being away from family, mentally that was draining. Training all the time.
“I got a better diet, and then I started recovering better so my body could perform.”
As Harvey grew, he began to cut weight for the first time. So he experimented with a vegetarian diet. but that left him with low energy. Eventually he added fish and found a combination that worked.
“I had to learn what foods to eat and how to get the right nutrition,” he said.
Jahmal Harvey, left, throws a punch during a match against Brazil’s Luiz Do Nascimento at the Pan American Games in October.
(Dolores Ochoa / Associated Press)
He also sought more balance between his life inside and outside the ring.
“It’s very important to not let [boxing] run your life,” he said. “I just let it be fun, let it come to me naturally. I put in a lot of work in the gym, so I know that OK, I can still go out, watch a movie, hang with friends.
“The gold medal, definitely that’s what I’m working to achieve. But I’m not stressing about the gold medal. I know it’s going to come to me if I put the work in. I’m just so proud of myself for even making it there.”
And if he becomes the second American male to win a boxing gold this century after Andre Ward earned one in 2004, would he follow Ward into the pro ring and cash in on all that work?
“If I win the gold medal, I might want to come back and become a two-time gold medalist,” he said.
That would be an even bigger achievement. The Americans haven’t had a man do that since 1904.
Sports
NBA player calls for Hawks to cancel their ‘Magic City’ strip club promotional night out of respect for women
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An NBA player has taken exception to an Atlanta Hawks promotional night, which is a nod to a famed strip club in the city.
The Hawks have “Magic City Night” scheduled for March 16 against the Orlando Magic, but a player for neither team isn’t too fond of paying tribute to a strip club, which has been famed for its late-night stories involving athletes, celebrities and more.
While the Hawks call it an ode to a “cultural institution,” San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet shared his displeasure in a letter posted on Medium.
Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs reaches for the ball during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Feb. 26, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Kornet, a nine-year veteran and 2024 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, called for the Hawks’ promotional night to be canceled later this month, saying that it is disrespectful to women to honor the strip club.
“In its press release, the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, “Atlanta’s premier strip club.” Given this fact, I would like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City,” Kornet wrote in his post.
“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world. We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.”
The Hawks boasted about the theme night in its press release, including a live performance by famous Atlanta rapper T.I., a co-branded, limited-edition hoodie and even the establishment’s “World Famous” lemon-pepper chicken wings in the arena.
A general view of signage with the State Farm Arena logo on Nov. 14, 2025, outside State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, GA. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)
“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ’Magic City: An American Fantasy’,” said Hawks principal owner, filmmaker and actor, Jami Gertz, said in a press release. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
Kornet wrote that allowing the night to continue “without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, “specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Kornet wrote that “others throughout the league” were surprised by the Hawks’ decision to have this promotional night.
“We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision,” he wrote.
Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs defends against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on Jan. 31, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
The Hawks have seen good reception for the promotional night, as Tick Pick reported a get-in price was initially $10 for the game and has since skyrocketed to $94.
Kornet is in his first season with the Spurs, his sixth NBA team, where he has played mainly in a bench role. He averages 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game across 50 contests.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — How do you improve on the perfect ending?
Clayton Kershaw stood in the desert heat Monday, wearing a far darker shade of blue than the Dodgers do. He does not need a medal, or a chance to fail. His election to the Hall of Fame will be a formality.
In his farewell year, the Dodgers won the World Series, becoming baseball’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years. He secured a critical out. He bathed in adoration at the championship rally, and he told the fans he would be one of them this year.
“I’m going to watch,” he hollered that day, “just like all of you.”
Four months later, he was back in uniform.
He wore a dark blue jersey with red-and-white piping. As Team USA ran through its first World Baseball Classic workout, Kershaw participated in pitchers’ fielding practice and shagged fly balls during batting practice. He could have been home with his five kids, and instead he was rushing off the mound to take a throw at first base.
That November night in Toronto, as it turned out, was not the last time we would see him in uniform.
“Feels good,” he said Monday. “I wouldn’t put on a uniform for anything else. This is a special thing.”
He put the World Baseball Classic into red, white and blue perspective.
“It’s a bucket list thing for me,” he said.
He is either self-deprecating or painfully honest about his capabilities right now, or perhaps a little of both.
The last World Baseball Classic came down to Shohei Ohtani pitching to Mike Trout. This one could come down to Kershaw pitching to Ohtani.
“I think, for our country’s sake, it’s probably better if I don’t,” Kershaw said.
Former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw fields a ground ball during a workout at Papago Park Sports Complex on Monday.
(Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Never say never. Team USA planned to run a tremendous rotation of Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Joe Ryan and Logan Webb, but now Skubal says he will pitch just once in the tournament. Skenes says he’ll pitch twice. Ryan says he won’t pitch in the first round, at least.
Kershaw might be needed beyond the role he was promised: save the team from using the current major league pitchers in blowouts or extra innings.
In 11 career at-bats against Kershaw, Ohtani has no hits. Kershaw won’t duck the assignment if gets it, but he considers it so unlikely he is happy to share his game plan publicly.
“It’s throw it, pitch away, play away, hope he flies out to left,” Kershaw said. “Don’t throw it in his barrel.
“I can’t imagine, if it comes down to USA versus Japan, with the arms that we have, that I’ll be needed. But I’ll be ready.”
Kershaw’s average fastball velocity dropped to 89 mph last season, but he led the majors in winning percentage. He could eat innings for some team — maybe even the Dodgers, with Blake Snell and Gavin Stone all but certain to be unavailable on opening day.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, right, celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2025 World Series title.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But, even with his success last year and even with the joy of wearing a uniform once again, he insists he isn’t interested in pitching beyond the WBC.
“I don’t want to,” he said. “You can’t end it better than I did last year. I had a great time last year. It was an absolute blast and honor to be on that team. I think that was the perfect way to end it. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have enough in the tank to pitch for a full season again. I’m really at peace with that decision.
“This is kind of a weird one-off thing, but you can’t really turn down this opportunity. It wasn’t easy to get ready for this, with no motivation for a season, but I actually am in a pretty good spot with my arm. I’ll be fine. If they need me, I’ll be ready.”
Kershaw said he has kept in touch with his old Dodgers teammates, with some connecting on video calls from the weight room or clubhouse at Camelback Ranch. He arrived in the Phoenix area two days before the workout, but he skipped a trip to Camelback Ranch.
“I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I miss the guys. I think it’s probably just better, at least for this first year, for me mentally to just stay away, just for spring training.”
Kershaw said he would be at Dodger Stadium for the championship ring ceremony March 27.
He is content with what he calls “Dad life.” He and his wife, Ellen, just welcomed their fifth child, and Dad life includes lots of shuttles to baseball and basketball practice.
“I run an Uber service,” Kershaw said.
This wouldn’t be a Dodgers story these days without some reference to the team’s big spending so, for what it’s worth, Kershaw spent some time Tuesday chatting with Skubal, who will be the grand prize on the free-agent market next winter, or whenever the likely lockout might end.
That’s a rational explanation, Kershaw says, for Skubal pitching just once in the WBC.
“Everybody knows the situation he is in, contract-wise,” Kershaw said. “Any innings we can get out of him is a huge bonus to this team. He’s great. Super competitive. We’re honored to have him.”
Should we assume Skubal will be pitching for the Dodgers next season? Kershaw laughed.
“No comment,” he said, then walked away to get ready for the first game of his post-retirement life.
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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley sounded off on the frenzied reactions to the U.S. men’s hockey team getting invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.
Trump talked to the Olympic gold medal-winning team immediately after they defeated Canada in overtime last weekend. He said they would be invited to his State of the Union address and added that he needed to invite the women’s team as well or he would be “impeached.”
Charles Barkley sits courtside against the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Trump critics took the joke as a shot at the women’s team, which sparked questions from NHL and Professional Women’s Hockey League reporters as the players returned to their respective club teams.
“I’m proud of the United States men. I’m proud of the United States women. You should have invited both of them to the White House, but it shouldn’t have been disrespect, misogyny,” Barkley said on the “Steam Room” podcast. “Like, yo, man, why do y’all have to mess everything up? Everything isn’t Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal. That’s why we got this divided, screwed up country. Stop it man. Because, you know, the public, they’re idiots. They’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”
Barkley lamented that the average person would get riled up over the supposed controversy.
The U.S. team poses for a group photo after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)
“We don’t have to fall for stupidity. But we do – that’s my point. These people out here are stupid. They need something to trigger them. Just because they want us to be stupid. We don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”
The former Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns star made clear he would go to the White House regardless of whether Trump was in office.
“I’ve said this before, I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy – I want to make that clear. But I respect the office,” Barkley said. “He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be un-American.
Megan Keller (5) celebrates with a flag alongside Cayla Barnes (3) of Team United States after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the women’s gold medal match against Canada on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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“I just wish y’all would stop falling for the stupidity.”
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