Fibroso
08-10-2012, 12:50 AM
U.S. boxing Dream Team? Why not?
If you have followed the Olympic boxing tournament in London the past two weeks, you know that this has been the worst American team in history.
Sure, there have been scoring controversies and brutal refereeing, but most other countries are in the same boat.
The bottom line? Zero medals for the American men. That is a first. Not even a stinkin' bronze. (Although two of three U.S. women, in the first year of women's boxing as an Olympic sport, are bringing home medals.)
Rafael's Boxing Blog http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/rafael_dan_m.jpg Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog
USA Boxing, the organization that oversees amateur boxing in the United States, is an unmitigated disaster,with more problems than a third-world country. It's a complete mess that needs a massive overhaul from top to bottom. The entire culture needs a scrubbing. It simply doesn't put America's hardworking young men in the best position to bring home medals.
With the men having been shut out, the program has reached its nadir. Remember, Americans once dominated Olympic boxing (to the tune of 108 total medals, including 48 gold, coming into these Games). The American amateur program has produced legends of the game: Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and many more.
And now it has come to this: In 2012, Mongolia, with a population of about 2.8 million, will take home two men's boxing medals. The United States, with a population of about 312 million, will take home none.
I was talking to promoter Dan Goossen the other day, and we were lamenting the woeful performance of Team USA. Goossen has an affinity for Olympians. He has promoted several in his day, most notably 1996 gold medalist David Reid, who went on to win a junior middleweight world title as a pro, and current super middleweight champion Andre Ward, the last American gold winner in 2004.
Goossen said there was only one way to restore America to a medal-winning machine.
"We gotta do what they did in basketball," Goossen said. "We gotta bring in the pros."
That got me thinking: How interesting would it be if the United States, or any country, for that matter, was able to send its professional fighters to the Olympics? It probably would pump a lot more interest into the tournament than there is now. It would be exciting.
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0809/box_a_mayweather_d2_300.jpg (http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0809/box_a_mayweather_d2_600.jpg)AP Photo/Hans DerykWould Floyd Mayweather Jr. jump at the chance to return to the Olympics to earn the only thing his money can't buy, a gold medal? You bet he would.
Currently, the lords of amateur boxing don't allow pros, even though it's common practice in other sports. That's why we see the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant closing in on a basketball gold medal, and basketball pros from all over the world play for their countries. It's also why superstar pros Serena Williams and Roger Federer play in the tennis tournament.
If pro fighters were cleared to compete, I believe that many would accept the opportunity to represent their countries without being paid. Boxing is one of the most nationalist sports there is. Flags are always flying in the stands at big fights.
Just imagine Team Ukraine being led by super heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, the 1996 gold medalist gunning for another. And what about Manny Pacquiao, captain of Team Philippines, seeking the 141-pound light welterweight gold? He has eight pro world titles but no Olympic gold medal.
I have visions of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez putting aside their rivalry for a few weeks to support each other on Team Mexico, with Chavez going for gold at 165 pounds and Alvarez doing the same at 152.
With pros, the level of interest in Olympic boxing would be off the charts. I took it a step further and came up with my own "Dream Team" to represent the United States. Because the weight limits for amateur weight classes are slightly different from the pros and there are fewer divisions, I took the liberty of moving some guys slightly up or down in weight, but all are weights at which these fighters could legitimately fight.
With that, here's my American Dream Team:
Light flyweight (108 pounds)
Unfortunately, Team USA wouldn't have a full squad. There isn't a single notable American professional who fights in either the 105-pound strawweight division or 108-pound junior flyweight division. The U.S. would kick some butt in the other weight classes, though.
Flyweight (114), Brian Viloria
http://espn.go.com/photo/2008/0911/box_a_viloria1_sw_65.jpg
Viloria
Viloria was a 2000 U.S. Olympian and a major medal hope, but he got a very tough draw in Sydney. He won his first bout but lost a close fight to eventual gold medalist Brahim Asloum of France in the second round. All these years later, Viloria is still going strong as a pro flyweight titleholder. In fact, of all the fighters on the 2000 U.S. team, Viloria is the last man standing. He probably would love a second chance to earn the medal he didn't get in 2000, and you know what? He'd probably do very, very well.
Bantamweight (123), Nonito Donaire
http://espn.go.com/photo/2012/0710/box_g_donaire_gb1_65.jpg
Donaire
Some folks might say, "What's he doing on the team, he's from the Philippines?" Yes, Donaire -- one of pro boxing's pound-for-pound stars and a reigning unified junior featherweight titlist (122 pounds) -- was born in the Philippines and embraces his heritage. But he also has lived in the United States since he was a child and, more importantly, came up through the American amateur system to the tune of winning multiple national titles. He wore the red, white and blue for those tournaments and could do it again to go for gold. With his speed and power, Donaire would be in the thick of the medal hunt for sure.
If you have followed the Olympic boxing tournament in London the past two weeks, you know that this has been the worst American team in history.
Sure, there have been scoring controversies and brutal refereeing, but most other countries are in the same boat.
The bottom line? Zero medals for the American men. That is a first. Not even a stinkin' bronze. (Although two of three U.S. women, in the first year of women's boxing as an Olympic sport, are bringing home medals.)
Rafael's Boxing Blog http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/rafael_dan_m.jpg Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog
USA Boxing, the organization that oversees amateur boxing in the United States, is an unmitigated disaster,with more problems than a third-world country. It's a complete mess that needs a massive overhaul from top to bottom. The entire culture needs a scrubbing. It simply doesn't put America's hardworking young men in the best position to bring home medals.
With the men having been shut out, the program has reached its nadir. Remember, Americans once dominated Olympic boxing (to the tune of 108 total medals, including 48 gold, coming into these Games). The American amateur program has produced legends of the game: Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and many more.
And now it has come to this: In 2012, Mongolia, with a population of about 2.8 million, will take home two men's boxing medals. The United States, with a population of about 312 million, will take home none.
I was talking to promoter Dan Goossen the other day, and we were lamenting the woeful performance of Team USA. Goossen has an affinity for Olympians. He has promoted several in his day, most notably 1996 gold medalist David Reid, who went on to win a junior middleweight world title as a pro, and current super middleweight champion Andre Ward, the last American gold winner in 2004.
Goossen said there was only one way to restore America to a medal-winning machine.
"We gotta do what they did in basketball," Goossen said. "We gotta bring in the pros."
That got me thinking: How interesting would it be if the United States, or any country, for that matter, was able to send its professional fighters to the Olympics? It probably would pump a lot more interest into the tournament than there is now. It would be exciting.
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0809/box_a_mayweather_d2_300.jpg (http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0809/box_a_mayweather_d2_600.jpg)AP Photo/Hans DerykWould Floyd Mayweather Jr. jump at the chance to return to the Olympics to earn the only thing his money can't buy, a gold medal? You bet he would.
Currently, the lords of amateur boxing don't allow pros, even though it's common practice in other sports. That's why we see the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant closing in on a basketball gold medal, and basketball pros from all over the world play for their countries. It's also why superstar pros Serena Williams and Roger Federer play in the tennis tournament.
If pro fighters were cleared to compete, I believe that many would accept the opportunity to represent their countries without being paid. Boxing is one of the most nationalist sports there is. Flags are always flying in the stands at big fights.
Just imagine Team Ukraine being led by super heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, the 1996 gold medalist gunning for another. And what about Manny Pacquiao, captain of Team Philippines, seeking the 141-pound light welterweight gold? He has eight pro world titles but no Olympic gold medal.
I have visions of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez putting aside their rivalry for a few weeks to support each other on Team Mexico, with Chavez going for gold at 165 pounds and Alvarez doing the same at 152.
With pros, the level of interest in Olympic boxing would be off the charts. I took it a step further and came up with my own "Dream Team" to represent the United States. Because the weight limits for amateur weight classes are slightly different from the pros and there are fewer divisions, I took the liberty of moving some guys slightly up or down in weight, but all are weights at which these fighters could legitimately fight.
With that, here's my American Dream Team:
Light flyweight (108 pounds)
Unfortunately, Team USA wouldn't have a full squad. There isn't a single notable American professional who fights in either the 105-pound strawweight division or 108-pound junior flyweight division. The U.S. would kick some butt in the other weight classes, though.
Flyweight (114), Brian Viloria
http://espn.go.com/photo/2008/0911/box_a_viloria1_sw_65.jpg
Viloria
Viloria was a 2000 U.S. Olympian and a major medal hope, but he got a very tough draw in Sydney. He won his first bout but lost a close fight to eventual gold medalist Brahim Asloum of France in the second round. All these years later, Viloria is still going strong as a pro flyweight titleholder. In fact, of all the fighters on the 2000 U.S. team, Viloria is the last man standing. He probably would love a second chance to earn the medal he didn't get in 2000, and you know what? He'd probably do very, very well.
Bantamweight (123), Nonito Donaire
http://espn.go.com/photo/2012/0710/box_g_donaire_gb1_65.jpg
Donaire
Some folks might say, "What's he doing on the team, he's from the Philippines?" Yes, Donaire -- one of pro boxing's pound-for-pound stars and a reigning unified junior featherweight titlist (122 pounds) -- was born in the Philippines and embraces his heritage. But he also has lived in the United States since he was a child and, more importantly, came up through the American amateur system to the tune of winning multiple national titles. He wore the red, white and blue for those tournaments and could do it again to go for gold. With his speed and power, Donaire would be in the thick of the medal hunt for sure.