American Roscoe Hill said advice from former heavyweight Olympic champion George Foreman as well as his father helped him to hone his skills inside the ring as he beat Omid Ahmadisafa in his opening bout at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Hill's father trained in Texas with Foreman, whose famous fights included bouts with Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.

Asked what he had learned from Foreman and his father, flyweight Hill replied: "The most important punch was the jab. They taught me that. I kept that in mind, to keep doing that -- and never stay in one spot longer than three seconds."

During his unanimous points win over Ahmadisafa, Hill put that advice to good use and was quick on his feet as he evaded the Iranian-born refugee boxer's punches, bobbing and weaving his way across the ring.

"My performance was good," Hill reflected after the match. "I felt like it was great. He came all hard so I had to stay patient. Once I stayed patient all my skills came out."

He added: "My style is very unpredictable. You never know now, I may go up, I may go down. It keeps my opponent thinking at all times. My skills are too good to be denied. I know I can win gold."

Foreman's influence over Hill is not just limited to the boxing ring, with the 1968 Olympic champion also baptizing Hill.

An ordained minister, Foreman became a born-again Christian after a near-death experience following his 1977 fight with Jimmy Young and has been preaching since 1980.

"I was already about 13 years old," Hill added. "I'd been baptized before and I was thinking: 'Man, I hope Jesus Christ doesn't punish me for being baptized twice!' But it was George Foreman, so I was getting baptized."

Hill next faces three-times World Championship medalist Billal Bennama of France on Tuesday.