Cleveland Heights High Schooler Qualifies for Olympics

Philly's got Rocky, but Cleveland Heights has high schooler Charles Conwell.

The 18-year-old senior will represent Team USA in boxing at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after winning a semifinal match Thursday, according to a Team USA press release.

“It feels wonderful," Conwell said in the release. "It’s a dream come true."

Conwell fought Colombia's Jorge Luis Vivas Palacios at The Americas Qualifier in Buenos Aires Argentina. The 165-pound, middleweight bout went to judges, who deemed Conwell the victor with a unanimous decision. Conwell needed to finish top three in the tournament to qualify for the Olympic team.

The match began as a punch-out, the two trading blows equally, but Conwell pulled away with his mobility and punishing body shots.

"The body shots and the feints really slowed him down," Conwell said. "I capitalized off of the feints."

Conwell began boxing at 11-years-old when his father — who still coaches him — introduced him to the sport. He credited a local hero for his own rise to the Olympic team.

“It started with Raynell Williams from Cleveland, Ohio," Conwell said. "He’s from the same gym where I started. He made the Olympic team and I’ve had the dream since then.”

The 2015 National Golden Gloves Champion will look to bring home the first American Gold Medal for boxing since Andre Ward in 2004.