Who looks the best bet to make the 2008 US Olympic team?

[emile]

With the PAL Championships this week, and the first golden ticket to the US Trials, I'd like to hear from the more knowledgable amateur fans who they think will win out for Beijing.

Which youngsters will progress enough in the next year to beat out the vets? There looks to be a few really competitive divisions, and a few wide open ones. Middleweight looks absolutely stacked to me, while I'd guess Yanez and Warren were the best bets as of now.

[boxmel]

Ahhh - an amateur boxing fan after my own heart. It's really too early to determine the 2008 team - we won't know that until after the Box-offs next year, but here's my take on the upcoming PAL:

106 - Luis Yanez is one of the best; Marco Rangel has the experience but he hasn't been active lately; Roberto Ceron has the experience but I don't know if he can suck it up enough to win.

112 - Rau'shee Warren. So far there isn't anyone in that weight class who can touch him.

119 - Gary Russell can outbox and out speed almost anyone; Aaron Alafa has experience but lacks power; David Clark has experience and power but never quite makes it to the top. Watch Roberto Marroquin - excellent JO.

125 - Luis Del Valle, depending on which one comes, could be in the mix; Shemuel Pagan is up there - no real stars.

132 - Is loaded. I don't even want to try and pick between Sadam Ali, Terence Crawford and Danny Garcia. Possible dark horses are Miguel Gonzalez, Diego Magdaleno, Stan Martyniouk and Luis Ramos.

141 - 31 entered so far. Pick a name. Jeremy Bryan, Hector Ramos have the experience - wide open.

152 - 36 entered so far.
Demetrius Andrade, Charles Hatley, Jose Orozco and Keith Thurman are all in the mix.

165 - 41 entered so far. Shawn Estrada (depending on which Shawn shows up - he gets DQ'd frequently), Danny Jacobs (tends to brawl but lots of experience), Edwin Rodriguez are all names to watch out for.

178 - De'Rae Crane, Yathomas Riley, William Rosinsky and Siju Shabazz are probably the ones to watch.

201 - Ugh.

201+ - Best guess is that the finals will end up with Mike Wilson boxing Mike Hunter.

[inc969806]

Is Adam Willett in at 201 or not? He looks to be a pretty good fighter at 201 but I didn't see his name on the roster.

[pound per pound]

With the PAL Championships this week, and the first golden ticket to the US Trials, I'd like to hear from the more knowledgable amateur fans who they think will win out for Beijing.

Which youngsters will progress enough in the next year to beat out the vets? There looks to be a few really competitive divisions, and a few wide open ones. Middleweight looks absolutely stacked to me, while I'd guess Yanez and Warren were the best bets as of now.

I'm more interested in who is in charge of the team. Too many checks are going out. There is no central command. USA Amateur boxing is a train wreck. The results have been very poor. The program needs a central command. We need a person with some authority who can make changes. A seasoned boxing man above politics with a sledge hammer that will smash any play station 2, teach the kids about nutrition, and above and beyond all else, root out bad apples who lack the commitment.

As it stands right now, the team is very poor. I can only see 1-2 medals in 2008. The wild card of course is up and coming talent that will make their mark in the USA Olympic Box offs. Teenager Isaiah Thomas is the real deal. He won gold in the jr’s. I predict he will win Olympic Gold in 2008 @ 178 pounds. Heavyweights? Forget it.

[boxmel]

Is Adam Willett in at 201 or not? He looks to be a pretty good fighter at 201 but I didn't see his name on the roster.

The names of the actual entries won't be finalized until the end of registration tomorrow. And not all our top-ranked boxers will be at the PAL tournament, either. Some will wait for other qualifying opportunities.

[boxmel]

I'm more interested in who is in charge of the team.

That won't be decided until next year. I'm sure that Dan Campbell, our national coach, will be part of the delegation.

Too many checks are going out. There is no central command.

Exactly what do you mean by the above statement? Please clarify.

USA Amateur boxing is a train wreck. The results have been very poor.

It is extremely hard to keep good boxers from one Olympics to another. The goal for most American amateur boxers is to turn pro. We are the only country that is not government funded. Our boxers have to train and compete while going to school and having to work. Makes it more difficult to keep focused.

The program needs a central command. We need a person with some authority who can make changes. A seasoned boxing man above politics with a sledge hammer that will smash any play station 2, teach the kids about nutrition, and above and beyond all else, root out bad apples who lack the commitment.

You obviously don't know much, if anything, about amateur boxing in the US. I still don't know what you mean by "central command." We have a National Coach who works with the boxers and coaches at camps and during national and international competitions. He is not a dictator nor is that his role. To touch on a couple of your above points - what kind of changes would YOU suggest? What does the Play Station 2 have to do with anything (I've worked at camps and the boxers are more devoted to their cell phones), and the bad apples who lack commitment usually weed themselves out.

USA Boxing is in the middle of a massive governance reform that will, hopefully, get rid of those in power who put their egos first and the athletes last. It's a wait and see situation at the moment as the new Board of Directors won't be announced until the middle of October.

As it stands right now, the team is very poor.

As is stands right now, there isn't any team. And there won't be until the Box-offs next year.

I can only see 1-2 medals in 2008.

May I ask who your picks are?

The wild card of course is up and coming talent that will make their mark in the USA Olympic Box offs.

This is always the "wild card." However, not all good junior boxers make it in the open division. Yes, there are some coming up - but whether or not they can beat the seasoned, experienced mature open athletes remains to be seen.

Teenager Isaiah Thomas is the real deal. He won gold in the jr’s. I predict he will win Olympic Gold in 2008 @ 178 pounds.

I did some research. Thomas won the 2005 National Junior Olympics at 189 Lbs. That was his last national competition. He hadn't boxed at that level for over a year until he competed at the open invitational Blue & Gold in August of this year at 178 Lbs. and lost in his first bout. I wouldn't consider him outstanding at this point.

Heavyweights? Forget it.

You can forget that division in amateur or pro boxing. And as I said in my first post, the 201+ should come down to Mike Wilson and Mike Hunter.

[locoxelbox]

Teenager Isaiah Thomas is the real deal. He won gold in the jr’s. I predict he will win Olympic Gold in 2008 @ 178 pounds.

I did some research. Thomas won the 2005 National Junior Olympics at 189 Lbs. That was his last national competition. He hadn't boxed at that level for over a year until he competed at the open invitational Blue & Gold in August of this year at 178 Lbs. and lost in his first bout. I wouldn't consider him outstanding at this point.

Isiah Thomas also lost at the US Junior (Under 19) nationals in august. He won his first bout losing in the semis, thus missing the world junior championships. Seems he was overhyped?

[boxmel]

Ooops - missed the Under 19. He lost 10-8, which is pretty close. We'll just have to see how he does through the upcoming qualfiers. PAL registration closed at noon today - will be interesting to see who is actually there.

[pound per pound]

I'm more interested in who is in charge of the team.

That won't be decided until next year. I'm sure that Dan Campbell, our national coach, will be part of the delegation.

Too many checks are going out. There is no central command.

Exactly what do you mean by the above statement? Please clarify.

>>>The team gets plenty of revenue. I read the team got $800,000.00+ from the USA government in the last Olympics alone. Donations, Networks TV stations and regional tournaments are part of the equation with Amateur officials taking their piece of the pie. I beleive there are some fat cat types that need to be cut out.

USA Amateur boxing is a train wreck. The results have been very poor.

It is extremely hard to keep good boxers from one Olympics to another. The goal for most American amateur boxers is to turn pro. We are the only country that is not government funded. Our boxers have to train and compete while going to school and having to work. Makes it more difficult to keep focused.

>>> Are you sure the government does give team USA money for the Olympics? What amount do the donations total?

The program needs a central command. We need a person with some authority who can make changes. A seasoned boxing man above politics with a sledge hammer that will smash any play station 2, teach the kids about nutrition, and above and beyond all else, root out bad apples who lack the commitment.

You obviously don't know much, if anything, about amateur boxing in the US. I still don't know what you mean by "central command." We have a National Coach who works with the boxers and coaches at camps and during national and international competitions. He is not a dictator nor is that his role. To touch on a couple of your above points - what kind of changes would YOU suggest? What does the Play Station 2 have to do with anything (I've worked at camps and the boxers are more devoted to their cell phones), and the bad apples who lack commitment usually weed themselves out.

USA Boxing is in the middle of a massive governance reform that will, hopefully, get rid of those in power who put their egos first and the athletes last. It's a wait and see situation at the moment as the new Board of Directors won't be announced until the middle of October.

>>>Your second paragraph explains the reform that I was talking about. As for the play station 2 comment, cel phones, or whatever. Other teams do not worry about taking pictures of themselves, video games or swapping files. They are free of distractions. As far as I'm concerned an authority figure needs to set some ground rules.

As it stands right now, the team is very poor.

As is stands right now, there isn't any team. And there won't be until the Box-offs next year.

>>> The talent pool from which the team will be made up of is very poor.

I can only see 1-2 medals in 2008.

May I ask who your picks are?

>>> Thomas and Russell.

The wild card of course is up and coming talent that will make their mark in the USA Olympic Box offs.

This is always the "wild card." However, not all good junior boxers make it in the open division. Yes, there are some coming up - but whether or not they can beat the seasoned, experienced mature open athletes remains to be seen.

>>> Agreed.

Teenager Isaiah Thomas is the real deal. He won gold in the jr’s. I predict he will win Olympic Gold in 2008 @ 178 pounds.

I did some research. Thomas won the 2005 National Junior Olympics at 189 Lbs. That was his last national competition. He hadn't boxed at that level for over a year until he competed at the open invitational Blue & Gold in August of this year at 178 Lbs. and lost in his first bout. I wouldn't consider him outstanding at this point.

>>> Thomas is a talent. He’s tall, lean and skilled. He’s a bit like a young Tommy Hearns minus the power. I believe he was un-defeated until this year.

Heavyweights? Forget it.

You can forget that division in amateur or pro boxing. And as I said in my first post, the 201+ should come down to Mike Wilson and Mike Hunter.

>>> When it comes to heavyweights, all I ask for is the guy wearing the uniform doing his best to win. No more fat or lazy Estrada or Clay-Bey types please. Wilson did all right in the world amateurs, but got blown out 30-1 in his first tough match. If Wilson isn’t the #1 glove at super heavyweight, he will turn pro.

[boxmel]

The team gets plenty of revenue. I read the team got $800,000.00+ from the USA government in the last Olympics alone.

I'm really beginning to believe you are posting on this topice for the sheer pleasure of being irritating. You certainly don't know anything. Watch my lips. The U.S. is the only country who's athletes are not government funded. The USA Government did NOT give any team any money.

Donations

Donations are made to the USOC and go into a central fund. Yes, an individual can make a donation to USA Boxing, however it has nothing to do with sending any team any where. You can call USA Boxing and ask how much they receive in donations.

As for the play station 2 comment, cel phones, or whatever. Other teams do not worry about taking pictures of themselves, video games or swapping files.

How much do you want to bet? You're totally off base on this onel.

They are free of distractions. As far as I'm concerned an authority figure needs to set some ground rules.

Maybe the Cubans are totally free of districtions, but I doubt that. Would you believe that each team has an authority figure who sets ground rules? That our boxers have to sign a Code of Conduct whenever they go on an international trip? That we have sent boxers home from trips for breaking the rules? Unfortunately, not all athletes are 100% wonderful, perfect, law-abiding. But that's life, isn't it.

Networks TV stations

That money goes to the IOC. Not to the USOC or any of the Olympic sports.

and regional tournaments are part of the equation with Amateur officials taking their piece of the pie.

I have worked many a regional tournament. Very little, if any, money is made and what is usually goes toward sending the regional team to a national tournament or getting them team uniforms. I've been an amateur official for 19 years. The only time I've received per diem was one week when I worked the Olympic training camp in 2000. We are all volunteers and we do not get paid.

I beleive there are some fat cat types that need to be cut out.

Please give me facts and figures and names and whatever else you can find to back up your statement.

How closely do you follow the "talent pool?" How well do you know the boxers? I think Russell and Warren are practically shoe-ins. I'm not sold on Thomas at all. I think others have passed him up.

Where and when did Mike Wilson lose on a 30-1? That's almost impossible with the 20 point RSCOS rule.

Please do me a favor and when you post, post facts and names and figures - not gossip. Your current information paints you as a person who (1) doesn't know; (2) is just flaming; (3) all of the above.

[babyhuey]

dont mess with mel, she dont take no mess.... .....
on a personal note i have 100% confidence in bill meartz,
and the new usa boxing plan,
i know bill as well as anyone he was my amateur coach,
i can tell you he will do whatever he can for the betterment of usa boxing and the olympic team, bills heart is with this program
this guy oviously dosent know about the changes being made
because if he did he wouldent be running his mouth like he is
8)

[boxmel]

Heh heh. You can mess with me, as long as you have facts and figures to back up your statements. Bill Meartz and the current BOD were the group that, at the insistance of the USOC, wrote up the governance reform. Bill will not be part of the new group who will be running USA Boxing in October.

[babyhuey]

Heh heh. You can mess with me, as long as you have facts and figures to back up your statements. Bill Meartz and the current BOD were the group that, at the insistance of the USOC, wrote up the governance reform. Bill will not be part of the new group who will be running USA Boxing in October.

indeed, i think its a testiment to bills charector,
he wrote himself out of the presidential position,
but he believes it was that right thing for usa boxing,

[boxmel]

The entire BOD wrote itself out of their current positions because they had no choice. The governance reform was not an altruistic move. The USOC dictated that this be done or they would decertify USA Boxing.

[pound per pound]

Pound per pound The team gets plenty of revenue. I read the team got $800,000.00+ from the USA government in the last Olympics alone.

I'm really beginning to believe you are posting on this topice for the sheer pleasure of being irritating. You certainly don't know anything. Watch my lips. The U.S. is the only country who's athletes are not government funded. The USA Government did NOT give any team any money.

>>> WRONG! Each USA Olympic team gets a huge check form the government. You have blinders to the money aspect of USA boxing. Look it up Mel.

How closely do you follow the "talent pool?" How well do you know the boxers? I think Russell and Warren are practically shoe-ins. I'm not sold on Thomas at all. I think others have passed him up.

>>> Close enough to know the international results have been very poor as of late. I have seen the world amatuer champions, and the national golden gloves.

Where and when did Mike Wilson lose on a 30-1? That's almost impossible with the 20 point RSCOS rule.

Roberto Camarelle of Italy stopped Mike Wilson via RSCO in round 2 in the world amateur championships. Wilson only scored the first point in the entire match, then was shut out.

Please do me a favor and when you post, post facts and names and figures - not gossip. Your current information paints you as a person who (1) doesn't know; (2) is just flaming; (3) all of the above.

>>> As soon as you look up how much money team USA gets from its government, then you can tell me you 1 ) You did not know what your talking about and 2 ) Were upset and opted to flame me. As for Team USA, things need to change. Defending the current brass is not the way to go.

[boxmel]

WRONG! Each USA Olympic team gets a huge check form the government. You have blinders to the money aspect of USA boxing. Look it up Mel.

From the USOC - NOT the U.S. Government. Please post where you have found conclusive proof of your statement.

Close enough to know the international results have been very poor as of late. I have seen the world amatuer champions, and the national golden gloves.

And this makes you an expert on amateur boxing? I don't think so.

As soon as you look up how much money team USA gets from its government, then you can tell me

See my above request that you provide ME with the information. I think I know much more about USA Boxing and the USOC than you do.

As for Team USA, things need to change. Defending the current brass is not the way to go.

I agree. I am not defending the "current brass." Just trying to give you information that you obviously are unwilling to see.

Please don't bother answering unless you can tell me where you found the fact that the "government" funds the US Olympic team.

[emile]

http://usaboxing.org/1059_417.htm

Day 1 in the books and already quite a few of the big names knocked out.

Aaron Alafa was beaten by Jorge Diaz in a very tough first-round matchup at 119. Another highly rated 112 who moved up to 119, Shawn Nichol, was beaten by Roman Morales. Shemuel Pagan was beaten at 125 by Lonnie Jackson. At 141, two top rated guys met in the first round and Karl Dargan easily outpointed Ray Rivera. Also at 141, Jeremy Bryan knocked out by Michael Dallas and the #1 rated 141 Hector Ramos beaten by Aaron Bensinger.

[emile]

So there are a lot of articles coming out these days touting local amateurs - I assume a lot of them are kind of overblown feel-god stories of local interest. But I'm still wondering if any young guys are poised to blow up in the next year or two and peak coming into 2008.

For instance, I've been reading about Alan Lawrence as a future star for a fe years now, although his performance at the JWC maybe dimmed him a little?

Then there was this article about Dominic Wade, suggesting he'll absolutely dominate if they can keep his head on straight. How much of this stuff is true, and how much fiction?

[boxmel]

The local media always tends to publish feel-good stuff - which, of course, is a plus for amateur boxing. Makes for good reading but, as we know, a "promising boxer" isn't always promising. Or is just a flash in the pan. As I've said before, we won't really know who the best in the US will be until sometime in June of next year. I am going to the Open finals Saturday night and will be happy to report my opinions.

[emile]

As I've said before, we won't really know who the best in the US will be until sometime in June of next year.

Well what's the fun in waiting that long :) - I want speculation now.

Several more big names went down yesterday - Vincent Montoya, David Clark, Johnny Narvaez, Sadam Ali, Tyrone Chatman, DeRae Crane, and Eugene Hill all out.

[boxmel]

Ahhh - speculation can bite you you-know-where. IF you want my opinion (okay, you're going to get it anyway) - Vincent Montoya hasn't ever quite made the elite level. Good basic skills but not enough to carry him all the way. David Clark is one of my favorite people and, yes, he has gained strength and power in the last several years but he's another one who just can't push all the way through. He lost a close 3-2, though. From what I've seen of both boxers, an in-shape and focused Magdaleno can beat almost anyone. I haven't been real impressed with Sadam Ali.
Tyrone Chatman, currently ranked at #7, isn't what I would consider a top contender. #4 DeRae Crane was STOPPED by #1 Riley. Not considered a major or minor upset. And Eugene Hill - since the 201+ sucks, besides Hunter and Wilson and Jonte Willis, that's no big loss.

Going into the quarters:

106 is still up for grabs. Gabino Saenz could be a sleeper. Just came out of the JOs and is doing well; Marco Rangel is inconsistent - won in a very close bout with an opponent who doesn't have half his experience

112 still belongs to Rau'shee. He's just toooooo fast; Louie Padilla is probably stronger than Montoya and has been more active.

119 - watch out for Roberto Marroquin - the top three there, that I can see, are Marroquin, Gary Russell and Rick Lopez. I tend to favor Russell because of his speed but you never know.

125 - Isn't terribly exciting. Luis Del Valle is inconsistent; Walter Sarnoi has what it takes if he just boxes; Rico Ramos is above average, but another one who just doesn't quite make it (although he did beat Narvaez on a 15-0); Emanuel Medina is surprising the heck out of me. He's one of my LBC kids who hasn't been very active and, yet, he's beating all his competition so far.

132 - Loaded weight class: Terence Crawford, Javier Garcia, Danny Garcia, Diego Magdaleno. Finals will probably be between Crawford and Garcia.

141 - Karl Dargan is my top choice. Michael Dallas is looking good - so far. I honestly don't know much about the other boxers.

152 - Keith Thurman probably "the man;" but you can't count out Peter Haro, Jose Orozco or Charles Hatley. Orozco and Hatley have been around a long time and never quite make it.

165 - Final will probably be Shawn Estrada (if he doesn't get himself DQ'd) and Danny Jacobs - never a pretty bout - more of a brawl; Jonathan Nelson is in the mix but never quite makes it, either. We'll have to see how Dorian Anthony does. He's another one who never quite gets there.

178 - Yawn. Yathomas Riley, probably - but right on his heels are William Rosinsky and Donta Woods.

201 - Nap time. Maybe Adam Willett - his is the only name I recognize.

201+ - I'm going to have to put my money on Mike Hunter - especially if Mike Wilson isn't there - haven't seen his name yet; Jonte Willis could be in the running.

[boxmel]

Speculation Continued.............. Going into the semifinals:

106 (was semifinals) - Well, well. Saenz is a kid out of my area who just "graduated" from the JOs. He beat Rangel pretty good score-wise. He's a good boxer, learns from his mistakes. His opponent for the championship is a very experienced and older, more mature Roberto Ceron. Gabino just might upset him, however.

112 - have no idea what happened to them tonight; they must have semifinals tomorrow (Friday).

119 - Interesting foursome. Two top are Roberto Marroquin and Gary Russell. Jorge Diaz beat Rick Lopez pretty well and Victor Valenzuela beat a kid who hasn't boxed in at least two years, so that victory doesn't say much.

125 - Take your pick. Rico Ramos and Walter Sarnoi are from my area; Rico has been steady but inconsistent; Walter has always had excellent defensive skills but never did well offensively. I hear he looks good this week and has learned a lot since he's been at NMU; Luis Del Valle is also inconsistent, but has good skills and Montana boxers (Duran Caferro) are generally inexperienced.

132 - Don't know anything about Jesus Mendez from Texas except he had a close win over the #1, Danny Garcia; however the other three, no matter who they box in the semifinals, are a recipe for explosive action (unless they burned themselve out this week). Terence Crawford is probably the #1 pick to win this; Javier Garcia has real power in his punches and knows how to work the body; Diego Magdaleno has a close bout tonight, but I think his experience and recent activity won out.

141 - Don't know anything about Damiel O'Connor or Raul Tovar; Karl Dargan should win this with very little, if any sweat. However, Michael Dallas has really pulled himself up the ladder this week. He has good skills and is obviously getting better as he matures.

152 - Don't know anything about John Thompson. But Peter Haro, Keith Thurman and Charles Hatley make for a good mix.

165 - Well, Shawn Estrada didn't get disqualified - he lost 2-1 on paper scoring (would like to have known what the computer scoring was); So that actually leaves Danny Jacobs and Jonathan Nelson in the top spots as I don't know anything about Nick Brinson or Richard Hargraves.

178 - Gotta be Yathomas since Rosinsky and Donta Woods lost. Would you believe that Yathomas can box - sort of - and he's better now than he was when he first started a couple of years or so ago. I'm actually beginning to believe he will make our Olympic team. Can't say that he'll go to the Olympics as he still has to win the continental qualifiers and hasn't had any international experience.

201 - Uhhhh - maybe James Zimmerman, maybe Adam Willett - maybe the other two. Don't really see anything there spectacular, or even exciting or possibly good.

201+ - The four left seem to be pretty even. I'm still betting on Mike Hunter. BTW, if you didn't already know, Mike is the son of the late Mike "The Bounty" Hunter and a great kid.

Since some of the JOs who boxed this week will actually be competing in the open division qualifiers next year, I'll do a recap/speculation on them after their finals tomorrow.

[boxmel]

Semi-finals results and one major upset

112 lbs/51 kg: Rau'shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio dec. Barry Dennis, St. Louis, Mo., 15-2; Qa'id Muhammad, Ventnor City, N.J., dec. Louie Padilla, Las Vegas, Nev., 16-12

Don't know anything much about Muhammad, but Warren's speed is unbelievable and I don't think he can be touched. I was also saddened to learn that he's behaving like a rap star at home - fur coats, lots of gold. Not good.

119 lbs/54 kg: Roberto Marroquin, Dallas, Texas stopped Victor Valenzuela, Passare, N.J., RSC-2 (1:45); Gary Russell, Jr., Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Jorge Diaz, New Brunswick, N.J., 3-1

Now - this is going to be interesting! Roberto is good but I don't think he's as good as Gary. We'll see.

125 lbs/57 kg: Walter Sarnoi, Monterey Park, Calif. dec. Luis Del Valle, Newburgh, N.Y., 17-12; Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont., 18-5

I knew Caferro would lose; I'm really surprised that Sarnoi decisioned Del Valle and I can't believe a 125 Lb. championship between two Southern California boxers. I've known both of them since they started boxing so I'm not going to make a pick.

132 lbs/60 kg: Terence Crawford, Omaha, Neb., dec. Javier Garcia, Oxnard, Calif., 7-4; Diego Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Jesus Mendez, Houston, Texas, 8-6

Garcia spent most of the week killing his opponents with very hard and painful body shots. Doesn't look like there was much action, probably because Crawford stayed out of Garcia's way most of the time. Magdaleno is a banger with a hard punch. I would guess that since Crawford didn't have many problems with Garcia, he won't with Magdaleno - except Magdaleno has more experience than Garcia. This could be a good bout.

141 lbs/64 kg: Raul Tovar, Mission, Texas dec. Daniel O'Connor, Framingham, Massachusetts, 8-6; Michael Dallas, Bakersfield, Calif., dec. Karl Dargan, Philadelphia, Pa., 4-4 (nine-eight)

Major upset and I'm still shocked that Michael Dallas beat Dargan. It was close (both the tie and the tie-breaker) and I didn't see it so I can't speculate on what happened. I'll find out. If Dallas can suck it up to even be close with Dargan, he might have a shot at the gold - but I don't know anything about Tovar.

152 lbs/69 kg: Keith Thurman, Tampa, Fla., dec. John Thompson, S. Orange, N.J., 15-5; Charles Hatley, Dallas, Texas dec. Peter Haro, Inglewood, Calif., 23-9

I don't know what Hatley did to Haro, but he definitely creamed him (looking at the score). This might be the bout of the night for the championship - Thurman vs. Hatley. I'll pick Thurman but may be wrong.

[/quote]165 lbs/75 kg: Daniel Jacobs, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Nick Brinson, Geneva, N.Y., 13-5; Jonathan Nelson, Little Rock, Ark., dec. Richard Hargraves, San Francisco, Calif., 11-3[/quote]

Not two of the most skillful boxers, so the final between Jacobs and Nelson could turn into a sloppy fight. Pick 'em.

178 lbs/81 kg: Yathomas Riley, San Diego, Calif., dec. Alan Lawrence, Newark, N.J., 20-3; Joshua Garza, Baytown, Texas dec. Damar Singleton, Toledo, Ohio, 12-6

I'm going to go with Riley winning the championship at this weight class.

201 lbs/91 kg: James Zimmerman, San Jose, Calif., stopped Javier Torres, Medford, Ore., RSCO-2 (1:17); Adam Willett, Bellport, N.Y., dec. Ray Stallings, Princeton, N.J., 12-2

Yawn. Don't know and really don't care. #1 Willett boxes #2 Zimmerman. I'll root for Zimmerman since he's from California and it would be good if he could beat Willett. Then they'll be even.

201+ lbs/91+ kg: Jonte Willis, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Kasim Howard, St. Augustine, Fla., 12-1; Michael Hunter, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Clarence Tillman, III, Houston, Texas, 5-0

Mike will get his shot at the #1 Willis. I'm going to go for Hunter.

Will be at the finals tomorrow night and will post my observations on Sunday.

[babyhuey]

big thanks to mel for the updates....keep them coming

[emile]

Good call on Marroquin Mel. Why do you hate the 201's so much? :)