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Showing not a real surprise U.S. always faces long odds in boxing competition
SYDNEY, Australia -- The U.S. boxing effort has, so far, been both disappointing and surprising. The team's two world champions are missing from the upcoming medal bouts, and the four Americans still alive (they have bouts through Sunday) is a dropoff from the Atlanta Games, which were no great shakes themselves. Except for 1992, when the U.S. won just three medals, this will be the worst performance since the '40s. It doesn't look so good that four other teams, including Ukraine and Kazakhstan, will have more medals, with five fighters each remaining. Or that longtime rival Cuba will have six, or Russia seven. Were the USSR still intact the number would have been even more devastating: Of the 48 semifinalists remaining, 22 are from former Soviet countries. But a careful analysis finds an American apology in those numbers. Before the USSR breakup, the rest of the world only had to contend with 12 boxers, not the nearly 60 that now can qualify for Olympic boxing. In other words, the most semifinalists a Soviet effort could have mustered -- the most -- would have been 12 (one per weight class), not the 22 that actually are competing. And then look beyond the numbers and check some of the names. They are, to international boxing fans, all too familiar. When U.S. featherweight Ricardo Juarez broke through to the semifinals Wednesday, he had to beat defending gold medalist Somluck Kamsing of Thailand. When heavyweight Michael Bennett, one of the U.S. world champions, failed to make the medal round it was because he lost to three-time Olympian Félix Savón of Cuba. Which is to say that, in this one sport, the tables are turned on the United States. Every other country presents a Dream Team, boxers who never turn pro but who keep plugging away for national glory. "They fight for one thing," says U.S. coach Tom Mustin, "for their country. Our guys see other things down the road." Heck, Americans see them on the road; some U.S. boxers are cavorting with promoters even as their bouts are being scheduled here. And as good as the U.S. organization is, it hardly can compete with other countries when it comes to coaching influence. "We get 'em for a short time," Mustin points out, "from all sorts of different systems, and we try to enhance their style to compete in a world arena. In Cuba, it's total control [with national coaches] from the beginning." This might be the price of freedom, an ineffective boxing program. But even so, the U.S. team has come up with a couple of upsets. Clarence Vinson stunned world champion Olteanu George-Crinu of Romania to make the bantamweight semis; Juarez advanced unexpectedly; and both light welterweight Ricardo Williams and light middleweight Jermain Taylor are assured of at least a bronze as well. If America's perpetual position as boxing underdog is recognized, four might not be such a bad turnout after all. Sports Illustrated senior writer Richard Hoffer is in Sydney covering the boxing competition for the magazine and CNNSI.com. Check back daily to read Hoffer's behind-the-scenes reports from Down Under.
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