US Olympic preparation

[locoxelbox]

I was looking at the US Olympic team boxers' bouts prior to the Olympics and found some have hardly competed after qualifying at the Worlds in Chicago last year. There they qualified five boxers and only two of them, Raynell Williams and Luis Yanez, have had more than two bouts in seven months (unless I've missed something)!
Let's look at the preparation of those boxers:

48 L. Yanez 8 bouts
51 R. Warren 2 bouts
54 G. Russell 1 bout
57 R. Williams 7 bouts
69 D. Andrade 2 bouts

From this you can point out that the youngest and most inexperienced (Yanes and Williams) have had the most bouts (8-7). Also you can see they have never competed at the same time. Seems strange bearing in mind even though it's an individual sport you usually try to build a team spirit.
Why was Andrade the only Olympian to go to Russia?
Why hasn't Warren fought outside the US since the 2006 World Cup (where he had his last loss)?
Anyone with more inside information has any opinion on this?
I'd guess there has been injuries but we're talking about the three top boxers of the team. You could argue that they are the three most experienced guys and don't need too many competitions.

If we take a look around the World there are more experienced boxers who fight a lot more.

Alexey Tischenko (RUS) is the reigning Olympic Champion and also qualified in Chicago. His competitions after the Worlds:
Russia-USA Dual Meet (1 bout)
Feliks Stamm Tournament, POL (3 bouts)
King's Cup, THA (Finalist, 2-4 bouts???)
Gee-Bee Tournament, FIN (3 bouts)

That would be some 9-11 bouts against tough international competition.

Zou Shiming (CHN) is the World Champion at 48 kg:
China-USA Dual Meet (1 bout)
China-Kazakhstan Dual Meet (1 bout)
Feliks Stamm Tournament, POL (2 bouts)
King's Cup, THA (Finalist, 2-3 bouts???)

That would be some 6-7 bouts.

Frankie Gavin (ENG), World Champ at 60 kg has only fought once I believe (Gee-Bee Tournament) but he will box at the European Union Championships next week.

Then we have the cubans who are the one's that compete the most:

Yordenis Ugas, 2005 World Champ didn't fight in Chicago but was 12-0 in the Cuban National Team Championships which lasted 6 weeks in oct-nov.

Playa Giron tournament (4 bouts)
Strandja Tournament, BUL (3 bouts)
Club shows in Cuba (2 bouts)
Olympic Qualifier, TRI (4 bouts)
Cuban Olympics (4 bouts)
Klitschko Cup, UKR (4 bouts)
Pan American Championships, ECU (3 bouts)
Usti Grand Prix, CZE (probably 3 bouts)

That would make it 27 bouts this year! If you add the 12 bouts at the Cuban Team Championships you get almost 40 bouts where other boxers will have between 7-20 bouts (including the Worlds). That's a lot! I should point out that the other cuban boxers have similar numbers. I'm sure it would be too much for most boxers but the cubans seem to like it.

[Puncher7]

Interesting... There's Nothing better than experience...... thisis most likely a contributing factor as to why USA hasnt been as competitive as they should have in the past olympics.

[Gray-Fox]

Precisely what I was saying elsewhere about the GB squad.

[therealPunchDrunk]

Loco, you wouldn't know where to find a list over the participants at the EU championships?

[locoxelbox]

Sorry, couldn't find anything.

[galaxy]

Loco, you wouldn't know where to find a list over the participants at the EU championships?

http://forum.boxrec.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=84674

[locoxelbox]

The US Olympic Team is in Buenos Aires, Argentina training with our National Team so I will get first hand info to my questions. I was at the National High Performance Centre today and watched Raushee Warren & Co do a light training session as they had arrived in the morning. They did some shadow-boxing, punch mitts and heavy bag work. Tomorrow they will spar the argentine boxers.
Luis Yanez, Javier Molina and Demetrius Andrade are missing due to personal issues and Michael Hunter is with the team and will accompany to Beijing.

[boxmel]

Luis Yanez, Javier Molina and Demetrius Andrade are missing due to personal issues

Any ideas what those personal issues are? I know that Javier's gym is having a special "celebration" show for him Friday night, if that's why he isn't there - silly reason to my thinking.

[Dennis]

I think the US boxers should compete more than they do. If they aren't going to get a ton of international experience after winning the Olympic Trials, then they should at least enter local, regional and national tournaments - Nat'l PAL, NGG, US CHP, Ringside, etc. I know the other US boxers would be "gunning" for them, but that would just make the competition that much tougher. Andre Dirrell boxed in the Michigan GG after making the Olympic Team in 2004. He was not able to compete in the NGG though. I think the boxers should be "encouraged" to continue to compete often rather than "discouraged" to do so.

[boxmel]

Tsk, tsk, Dennis. Remember that the reason for determining the team a year ahead of time was so they could get lots of international experience and training! There is no way they could be spared to compete in last year's PAL, or this year's U.S. Championships and National GG. And Ringside is too close to their departure for Beijing. How silly of you!

[commerce boxing]

melanie,
The reason they call it "personal issues" is because it's personal. The show is not a celebration show but an important fundraiser and has nothing to do with the issue with USA Boxing. There is nothing silly about it. You shouldn't be making judgments like that considering that you've known us for so long.
Robert

[boxmel]

The reason they call it "personal issues" is because it's personal.

Considering many of our Olympic team members have been missing various camps and events, I was just curious as to why.

The show is not a celebration

Sorry. That's how Dick Jones has it listed on the show schedule. I was just quoting.

You shouldn't be making judgments like that considering that you've known us for so long.

I was not specifically picking on Javier. I would certainly not put in him the same category with some of the others who have not been in training for various "personal" reasons. It wasn't a "judgement." Just a question or a possibility. And Rick and I would both be there if is wasn't on a Friday night. Tell Javi good luck from both of us and we'll have our fingers crossed for his success in Beijing.

[Dennis]

Tsk, tsk, Dennis. Remember that the reason for determining the team a year ahead of time was so they could get lots of international experience and training! There is no way they could be spared to compete in last year's PAL, or this year's U.S. Championships and National GG. And Ringside is too close to their departure for Beijing. How silly of you!

Yes that was the reason, but they haven't been doing it. Other countries have their boxers competing frequently while ours barely get in front of a crowd.

[boxmel]

Yes that was the reason, but they haven't been doing it. Other countries have their boxers competing frequently while ours barely get in front of a crowd.

No kidding! I hope if they try the same ploy in 2011, ya'll don't let them get away with it.

[JMac]

The US Olympic Team is in Buenos Aires, Argentina training with our National Team so I will get first hand info to my questions. I was at the National High Performance Centre today and watched Raushee Warren & Co do a light training session as they had arrived in the morning. They did some shadow-boxing, punch mitts and heavy bag work. Tomorrow they will spar the argentine boxers.
Luis Yanez, Javier Molina and Demetrius Andrade are missing due to personal issues and Michael Hunter is with the team and will accompany to Beijing.

Hey loco, any more on the training? Did they compete against each other?

[locoxelbox]

The US team finished a week of training in Buenos Aires today. They had two sparrings where Warren and Russell were pretty impressive. Raynell Williams was doing well also but had to stop twice due to a shoulder injury. Also Estrada had to quit his sparring with a sore hand.
I wasn't impressed by Sadam Ali nor Deontay Wilder (who has a right hand missile but not much more). Miahel Hunter had one sparring against weak opposition.
Here are two clips of Warren's sparring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5sZL7kZkx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg_QjNMEPHQ

[locoxelbox]

After speaking some with the coaches and the boxers I now know better why most of the US team have had so few fights since the World Championships. Warren had a knee operation which is why he was out at the beginning of the year. They have generally been hampered by injuries and some of them (R. Williams, D. Andrade and S. Estrada) aren't fully recovered yet. Also there seem to have been some disciplinary problems, some guys seem to have the wrong attitude. Anyway they seem to be nice kids, Shawn Estrada stands out as a positive guy.

[COladyref]

WOW, have ANY of you been at the OTC on had the itinerary of what goes on? The Chinese were at the OTC and sparred the Olympians there were able to spar, they were in Russia, Argentina, Conn and Philly and Tenn as well as the many camps where the Nationals came in to spar, the 2nds and 3rds came too. I would imagine if some of them weren't crying all the time to go home and what not and/or the different injuries and really buckled down and did the training and sparring, we (NON-OLYMPIC COACHES) wouldn't be so concerned with the preparation or so curious as to what "personal" means.

[ManchesterMexican]

Britan For Gold In the boxing....

[boxmel]

WOW, have ANY of you been at the OTC on had the itinerary of what goes on? The Chinese were at the OTC and sparred the Olympians there were able to spar, they were in Russia, Argentina, Conn and Philly and Tenn

Have you? Just being curious. However, most of the boxers who have competed in the international competition have been the training partners, NOT the Olympians. There just seems to be a horrendous amount of dissention, as reported in the media and elsewhere, and I just hope that our boxers can stay focused and disciplined.

and really buckled down and did the training and sparring,

This would definitely cause problems if they weren't buckling down. Do you point your finger at the athletes who are not buckling down and training and sparring? Maybe they shouldn't go to the Olympics?

[COladyref]

Boxmel-

as a matter of fact I have. You said it best there "SEEMS" to be dissention as reported bythe media and others. Hummmm are tehy getting that from the horses mouth or reporting gossip? The personal coaches are great and got these boxers to where they are, now it is and was time for them to ease up and let Willie, Herb, Basheer and Dan teach them and mold them into BETTER international boxers. Sure injuries have kept some of the olympians from competing leading up to the olympics, but if the COACHES at the OTC were bad coaches and let them box in some of these duals and they were further injured, they would be blamed for that too............

I was not aware that getting ready for the olympics was suppose to be a walk in the park, I didn't know everyone else knew better that the Coaching Staff for the 08 Team, YES they need to buckle down and some of them have and put a lot of hard work and sweat into realizing their olympic dreams and some have cried and whined and acted like little prima donna's!

It is a shame so close to the games USA Boxing has to go through this and the focus is not on the other boxers and what a wonderful, proud moment this will be for them. I've said my peace on both forums and I am ok with how I feel and REALLY know the truth, discipline has a price, goals and dreams require HARD work, come August we will see who has what.

[boxmel]

Guess what we do in Beijing will be a testimony to the past year. If we do well, all the accolades will go to Dan Campbell and the residency program. If we don't do well, they will get blamed. We'll just have to wait and see.

I will say, however, that if there are, or have been, any whiners on the team it could be because of problems in the program. A team that is positively melded with all components would not be whining. Either the dissenters haven't been dealt with or are being allowed to dictate the atmosphere. Just my speculations.

[Dennis]

Guess what we do in Beijing will be a testimony to the past year. If we do well, all the accolades will go to Dan Campbell and the residency program. If we don't do well, they will get blamed. We'll just have to wait and see.

I will say, however, that if there are, or have been, any whiners on the team it could be because of problems in the program. A team that is positively melded with all components would not be whining. Either the dissenters haven't been dealt with or are being allowed to dictate the atmosphere. Just my speculations.

I agree with you on this topic Mel.

[kidscoach]

Guess what we do in Beijing will be a testimony to the past year. If we do well, all the accolades will go to Dan Campbell and the residency program. If we don't do well, they will get blamed. We'll just have to wait and see.

I will say, however, that if there are, or have been, any whiners on the team it could be because of problems in the program. A team that is positively melded with all components would not be whining. Either the dissenters haven't been dealt with or are being allowed to dictate the atmosphere. Just my speculations.

If we do well in the Olympics, the accolades should go to the boxers as well and all the effort and problems they have had to put up with too. Everyone is assuming that the problems are all the fault of the boxers. And that just isn't fair. Who is deciding that the protestations, whatever they are, are "whining"? Maybe they are legitimate issues that should have been corrected, addressed, or looked at. I don't know. I havn't been out there watching anyone. And maybe it is indeed whining. I can't believe that USA Boxing expected to jerk these young men out of their lives, away from their families and loved ones, personal coaches, jobs, etc, for an entire year and expect to succeed.

[boxmel]

Everyone is assuming that the problems are all the fault of the boxers.

Not me.