Olympic Boxing: Rustamhodza Rahimov Now Germany’s Lone Hope In Beijing

It’s been a tough Olympics for Team Germany as three of the four German boxers have now gone down to defeat, leaving just one man to carry the hopes of the country that has won 28 medals in the sport since 1896.

Things started off badly on Saturday as middleweight Konstantin Buga lost to Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora.

Born in Kazahkstan but residing in Germany since 1996, the 23 year old Buga was a German welterweight champion in 2005 but did well as a middleweight at the 2007 World Championships, shocking America’s Shawn Estrada before losing to eventual Silver Medallist Alfonso Blanco of Venezuela.

But Buga couldn’t master the 19 year old Gongorga at Worker’s Gymnasium, losing to the South American 14-7.

On Sunday, aggressive welterweight Jack Culcay-Keth tangled to a standstill with Korea’s Jungjoo Kim on a score of 11-11, only to lose a controversial decision when Kim was judged to be the more effective fighter.

22 year old Culcay-Keth had little amateur experience before coming out of nowhere to reach the quart-finals of the 2007 World Championships, losing only to eventual Gold Medal winner Demetrius Andrade of America.

25 year old featherweight Wilhelm Gratschow took Bronze at the 2008 European Olympic Qualifying Box-off in Italy earlier this year, but lost to Tunisia’s Alaa Shili 14-5 in Beijing on Monday.

Shili got into the Beijing Olympic on the strength of his Silver Medal winning performance at the 2007 All-Africa Games.

Germany’s only remaining boxer, Rustamhodza Rahimov, is set to face Uzbekistan’s Hoorshid Tojibaev on Tuesday.

Tajikistan born Rahimov, 33, won Bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics as a flyweight, losing to eventual Gold Medal winner and current professional sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa on a score of 20-11.

Rahimov bounced back in 2005 as a bantamweight, defeating top American Gary Russell Jr to win the Silver Medal and will compete in the class against Tojibaev tomorrow.