Associated Press
Aug 20 2004
Two More Americans Fall in Olympic Boxing
GREG BEACHAM
ATHENS, Greece – While Rock Allen chased Boris Georgiev around the
ring in a futile attempt to slow the agile Bulgarian fighter, Allen’s
father shouted from the stands:
“Stop running and box! Stop running and box!”
No chance, Dad. The best amateur boxers know just how to move and
exactly when to pounce – and two Americans who failed to match that
style are out of the Olympics.
Allen was pounded 30-10 in his light welterweight bout and
welterweight Vanes Martirosyan was beaten 20-11 by Cuba’s Lorenzo
Aragon in second-round matches Thursday at Peristeri Olympic Boxing
Hall.
Light heavyweight Andre Ward advanced to the quarterfinals with a
17-9 win over Italy’s Clemente Russo, but he soon will have the same
problems as his teammates. Ward’s next fight is against Russia’s
Evgeny Makarenko, a two-time world champion who battered Cuba’s Yoan
Pablo Hernandez moments before Ward’s fight.
The U.S. sent eight fighters into the second round with six victories
and two byes, but coach Basheer Abdullah knows it will be tough to
improve on the four medals won by American boxers four years ago in
Sydney. Americans once dominated Olympic boxing, but scoring changes
and the lure of professional money have eviscerated the program.
“We have yet to prove as a team that we can compete against the best
in the world,” Abdullah said. “Those bouts that we won, we were
supposed to win those bouts. If we could have won against a Cuban or
a Bulgarian, that would have been a great start to the round for us.”
Lightweight Vicente Escobedo is the only American fighting Friday.
The Woodland, Calif., native is hoping for a victory over
Azerbaijan’s Rovshan Huseynov to move into the quarterfinals – where
he would probably face Cuban powerhouse Mario Kindelan.
In his only fight of the Olympics, Allen fell behind Georgiev early
and never caught up. Not in the ring, where Georgiev practically ran
circles around him, or on the scoreboard.
Allen, a Philadelphia native who will turn pro in a few weeks, knows
all about the problems with amateur boxing for fighters who share his
power-based, stand-and-punch style.
“Olympic-style boxing moves at a much faster pace for those short
four rounds,” Allen said. “In the pros, we’ve got all kinds of time.
The best guys at the Olympics are veteran guys, and this is all they
know. A lot of these guys, you’re going to see in 2008 or 2012. I
have a pro style, and it’s hard for me to adapt.”
Ward, an Oakland, Calif., native, was more successful in a sometimes
plodding victory. After a first-round bye, Ward was eager to get his
first Olympic action – but he knows his bout against Makarenko easily
is the biggest test of his six-year winning streak.
“I saw him walk out. He’s big,” said Ward, a natural middleweight who
bulked up several years ago in an effort to avoid fighting his
cousin. “He’s not the first big guy I’ve fought, though. I’ve been
fighting giants my whole life.”
Martirosyan had an entirely different set of problems against Aragon,
a master of the punching technique that generates the best Olympic
results. Aragon seemed to score points with any sort of punch, while
Martirosyan only scored for his best hits.
Martirosyan, who was born in Armenia, staggered Aragon twice with
quick shots to the head, but the Cuban piled up enough early points
to hang on in a fight much closer than the score.
“He tries to frustrate you with the holding,” Martirosyan said. “He
holds you, pulls you back and makes it look like you’re holding, and
you’re not. It frustrates you. I thought I scored more points, and I
thought I should have won.”
It’s a familiar refrain for fighters facing the Cuban team, which is
given a world of respect by amateur judges. Ditto for the Russians:
Welterweight Oleg Saitov, a two-time gold medalist, beat Egypt’s
Mohamed Hikal 18-17 Thursday night even though Hikal dominated the
first three rounds.