Boxing at the Olympics '08 *Beijing* Let's talk here! Post videos & pictures!!!

[Youngblood]

Go Canada! All one of us!

[saturday_kid]

looking forward to hopefully seeing the UK do well, frankie gavin's hotly tipped look out for him.

[SweetPea]

Light Flyweight (48 kg)
America:
Luis Yanez, USA [6@51]
Jose Luis Meza, Ecuador
Eduard Bermudez, Venezuela [16]
Paolo Carvalho, Brazil [18]
Winston Mendez, Dominican Republic
Yampier Hernandez, Cuba [6]

I believe Yanez has been kicked off the US team.

[amat]

Yes he is. He lost his appeal yesterday but they weren't really expecting to win that anyways, they just had to get that out of the way before going to an independent arbitrator where he has a much better shot at winning the team. Pretty cold if he's left off, he did earn his way there by fighting.

He wouldn't have must of a shot anyways but that's not the point. Yanez' exclusion means an 8 man team for the US, I can't recall the US ever having a team so small. Even in the dismal 2004 games they had 11.

[Scrap]

Mikkel Brilliat thread

[killersheep]

Well done Mikkel K, I will definately be stopping by this thread often. This looks to be a very competitive year.

[mike_tha_man]

thanks for the thread. this will be my stop for all the olympic boxing info. great stuff this year and it looks pretty even in alot of those divisions. gotta root for my puertorican brothers holding it down!! hopefully we can take a gold home this year since we have been having a great year so far in the pros. anyways thanks again Mikkel_K

[amat]

He's back on the team, Yanez that is.

[killersheep]

http://en.beijing2008.cn/upload/OG_S..._080708/BX.xls

Here's the schedule if anyone wants a gander.

(Need excel or equivalent to view)

[amat]

Does it have the tournament bracket? Oh man I've been waiting for that forever. In 2004 Andre Ward got a really tough draw when he drew Gold Medal favorite Evegni Mankarov in the second round and that turned out to be his best performance of the games, really eager to see how it shakes out. Don't hav Excel though.

[killersheep]

Does it have the tournament bracket? Oh man I've been waiting for that forever. In 2004 Andre Ward got a really tough draw when he drew Gold Medal favorite Evegni Mankarov in the second round and that turned out to be his best performance of the games, really eager to see how it shakes out. Don't hav Excel though.

Well right now it just says the date and things like Men's Light Heavyweight bout 1 preliminaries

[Taeth]

Light Flyweight (48 kg)

Olympic champion 1992: Rogelio Marcelo, Cuba (never turned pro)
Olympic champion 1996: Daniel Petrov, Bulgaria (never turned pro)
Olympic champion 2000: Brahim Asloum, France (Current WBA champ at 108, pro record)
Olympic champion 2004: Yan Barthelemy (pro record)

Reigning champions:

World, USA 2007: Zou Shiming, China (+)
European C., Bulgaria 2006: David Ayrapetyan, Russia (+)
European Union C., Poland 2008: Pal Bedak, Hungary (+)
Asian Games, Qatar 2006: Zou Shiming, China (+)
Asian C., Mongolia 2007: Purevdorv Serdamba, Mongolia (+)
All-Africa Games, Algeria 2007: Suleiman Wanjau Bilali, Kenya (+)
African C., Madagascar 2007: Manyo Plange, Ghana (+)
Pan-American Games, Brazil 2007: Luiz Yanez, USA (?)
Pan-American C., Ecuador 2008: Yampier Hernandez, Cuba (+)
Oceanian C., Samoa 2008: Jack Willie, Papua New Guinea (+)
Commonwealth Games, Australia 2006: Japhet Uutoni, Namibia (+)

Participants 2008:

Africa:
Japhet Uutoni, Namibia
Suleiman Wanjau Bilali, Kenya
Manyo Plange, Ghana
Thomas Essomba, Cameroun [9]
Redouane Bouchtok, Morocco
Ronald Serugo, Uganda
Simanga Shiba, Swaziland

America:
Luis Yanez, USA [6@51]
Jose Luis Meza, Ecuador
Eduard Bermudez, Venezuela [16]
Paolo Carvalho, Brazil [18]
Winston Mendez, Dominican Republic
Yampier Hernandez, Cuba [6]

Asia:
Zou Shiming, China [1@51]
Harry Tanamor, Phillipines [1]
Amnat Ruonrang, Thailand [5]
Birzhan Zhakypov, Kazahkstan [7]
Rafikjon Sultonov, Uzbekistan
Sherali Dostiev, Tadjikistan
Purevori Serdamba, Mongolia [12]

Europe:
Nordine Oubaali, France [3]
Hovhannes Danielyan, Armenia [15]
Gheoriy Chygaev, Ukraine [9@51]
Paddy Barnes, Ireland [11]
David Ayrapetyan, Russia [2]
Lukas Maszczyk, Poland [13]
Pal Bedak, Hungary [4]
Kelvin de La Nieve, Spain [8]

Oceania:
Jack Willie, Papua New Guinea [20]

Preview:

Double (and reigning) world champ Zou Shiming must be the huge betting favourite, with the Olympics even staged in his native China. For those of us not in the know, he might even be the biggest favourite in any boxing division in Beijing. Some highlights from the WC-final can be watched here btw. Harry Tanamor was the only pinoy to reach the WC final, and at least a few posters on this site must be following him with interest. Mongolian Serdamba did beat Shiming in last year’s Asian Championship (watch the last minute here), but that was at home in Mongolia. Chances are things will be different in Beijing. Never rule out the Cuban participant – Barthelemy did not have the best record neither before nor since the Olympics – but Hernandez do not look like one of the favourites. Ha has recent losses to both Luis Yanez and Dominican Winston Mendez at least. The American hope, 20 year old former World Junior Champion Luis Yanez, seems to have been excluded from the American squad (story here). The special nature of the Olympics means that all representatives, despite being officially qualified, must be accepted by the national federation. Not sure how much of a difference he would make anyway – he was recently stopped in three rounds by Shiming.

Bonus info:

- I always find myself rooting for the fighters coming out of small nations, preferably Africans or fighters from small nations in Oceania. This year my hopes go out for Shimanga Shiba, Swaziland’s only representative in the entire games, who even received a wild card in order to get here.

- Zou Shiming can (should?) become the first ever Chinese gold medal in boxing. He will also become the first Asian to win in Light Flyweight.

- If it comes to a repeat of the World Championships-finals it will be the only third All-Asian Olympic final in history. Bantamweight Takao Sakurai (Japan) defeated Chung Shin-Cho (South Korea) on home turf in Tokyo 1964, while Thai flyweight Wijan Ponlid defeated the Kazakh Bulat Jumadilov in Sydney 2000.

- While Brahim Asloum (France) found Olympic success, all 19 European Championships contested at the weight have gone to boxers from the (former) Eastern bloc.

- Should Persamba repeat his success from the Asian Championship he will provide the first ever gold medal in Olympic history for Mongolia – the country has so far produced 5 silver medals and 10 bronze medals (the latter including 2 in boxing). Should Harry Tanamor do one better than in the World Championships, he will become the first ever Pinoy to win Olympic gold. All the countries’ post-WWII medals (2 silver, 2 bronze) has come in boxing btw, the latest in Barcelona 1992. Perhaps Tanamor can look to his countries’ flagbearer, the one and only Manny Pacquiao, for inspiration?

- Japhet Uutoni (Namibia) also represents a country without any Olympic gold medals. People might remember the sprinter Frankie Fredericks, who has won all of Namibias 4 medals so far (all silver).

- Jack Willie (Papua New Guinea) and Shimanga Shiba (Swaziland) can become their countries' first ever Olympic medallists.

I am pretty sure Rau'Shee Warren made it, and when he was 17 he lost to Shiming in the first round, but they are in the same division, and he has become 20x better than he was back then.

[Taeth]

Here are the ABA boxing rankings Mens World

its seems Andrade and Warren both have a pretty good shot in their division.

[amat]

Shiming is at light flyweight, Warren at flyweight. And if Warren was still at light fly, I very much doubt that he would fare much better against Shiming. Warren's main competion, imo, will be George Balakshin from Russia. Solid boxer, very fast especially on the inside, good defense and just an all around solid boxer. I think he'll do it though.

[killersheep]

I am pretty sure Rau'Shee Warren made it, and when he was 17 he lost to Shiming in the first round, but they are in the same division, and he has become 20x better than he was back then.

He moved up a weight class