WHO ARE THE FAVORITES FOR THE OLYMPIC TEAM NOW

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 06 Jun 2007, 01:30

I think you mean Shawn Porter, not Jacobs.

And he isn't necessarily THE leader. Estrada can be awesome, if he doesn't self destruct. I'm not even going to predict the outcome.

emile · Post by **emile** » 06 Jun 2007, 08:48

boxmel wrote:I think you mean Shawn Porter, not Jacobs. And he isn't necessarily THE leader. Estrada can be awesome, if he doesn't self destruct. I'm not even going to predict the outcome.

I'm not saying he's guaranteed to win or anything, but I'd say he is clearly the leader at the moment based oh his recent results. Let's see what Estrada can do now.

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jpm1978 · Post by **jpm1978** » 06 Jun 2007, 17:14

Dennis wrote:
jpm1978 wrote:
scalifan wrote:i will still go with rico ramos at 125. no one else seems to give him a chance.
Yo no a bad choice ¨scalifan¨but rico was a beast if you wath da´dvds they sold on the USA boxing website a few months ago. but i here he didn´t go to the pan-ams cuz of his personal problems or maybe it was his lady. so why he punk out of da´pan-ams. he ain´t got no international experience so i wonder where his heart is. don´t get me wrong i thinks he gotta shot for sure. well see. my original predictions are still pretty good lets see. I had Ceron vs. Yanez in da´finals with Yanez winning so i still got the right one to win. 112 I had Warren against Alafa and this is pendin but my prediction still good. at 119 i had Russell vs. Perales with Russell winning - even tho´Perales is out dipace won´t get by Russell, so i am still ok. 125 lbs. I had Davis so I ain´t no soothsayer there. 132 lbs. I had Crawford vs. Magdeleno so i still in the running. At 141 i had Dargan vs. Ramos so I was way off that one, but it looks like da´longshot from Cali - Molina - gonna win it all this was the upset of the tourney . 152 lbs. i had Andrade ¨Scooby¨ vs. Thurman with ¨Scooby winning so i ain´t too far there. 165lbs. i had Jacobs vs. Nelson with Jacobs winning so, i still in the running. at 178 lbs. i had Downs vs. Riley with Downs again i still in the running. 201 lbs. i had Willet vs. Carey with Willet winning but Willet got upset like many so i could be half right for da´finals. at 201+ i picked Wilson vs. Hunter wit Hunter winning so this is still pretty good. So i may be a soothsayer. since i didn´t know da´ladies that well i made some mistakes from researching them on the internet but i had Loo, Esparza, Downing, Berry, Swanson, Kuronya, Parks, Crews, Hemmingway, and Crane so i ain´t too bad cuz they all still in da´runnin. boy this nationals was full of upsets !! dargan, ramos, devalle all made da´pan-ams so i guess they can at least get some sun in rio 8)
Carey lost tonight. Willett did not get upset like you said.

Dawg Yo U right ¨Dennis¨

Carey eliminated and i got Willet who was my predic....mixed up with Jonte Willis - my bad. and i thought Carey would make it da´finals but not win so I may be pretty good on my predics but am i a soothsayer?! i am out

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » 12 Jun 2007, 10:59

emile wrote:I guess its undeniable that Shawn Porter is now the leader at 165, having beaten Danny Jacobs by 10 points.

It will probably come down to Porter against Guerrero in the Trials. Don't be misled by the score of their US Championships finals bout. It was very close. It was also an exciting bout with both boxers getting rocked. Nelson could also be in the mix. Jacobs didn't look as strong in the US Championships. Shawn Estrada will give some guys trouble, but I don't think he will win the Trials. Dominic Wade? I don't know. He has talent, but seems inconsistent. I think he will make some waves, but fall short. However, it could come down to the draw.

emile · Post by **emile** » 12 Jun 2007, 11:21

I got see some selected GG bouts over the weekend before the MSG telecast from Poland, and Porter bullying Willie Monroe. I liked what I saw from Porter and I'll think he'll be a fun pro, but I have to maintain my feeling that he would get eaten up by the Europeans and Central Asians because of his build. I'm intrigued by Guerrero, having not seen him, but he's a nice story what with having just become a citizen and all.

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » 13 Jun 2007, 14:16

These are the 8 guys per weight class that qualified for the Olympic Trials Box-offs. However, there may be some substitutions due to injuries.

106 lbs/48 kg:
Luis Yanez, Duncanville, Texas - Be tough to not bet on him to win the trials
Diego Hurtado, Reno, Nev.
Gabino Saenz, Indio, Calif.
Roberto Ceron, Doraville, Ga.
Daniel Lozano, Bowling Green, Fla.
Malcom Franklin, Pomona, Calif.
Keola McKee, Waailuku, Hawaii
Jerail Singleton, St. Louis, Mo.

112 lbs/51 kg:
Rau'shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio - impossible to bet against him
Qa'id Muhammad, Atlantic City, N.J.
Aaron Alafa, Visalia, Calif.
John Franklin, Ft. Carson, Colo.
Timothy Ibarra, Brighton, Colo.
Juan Leija, Alvin, Texas
David Gaspar, Wilmington, Calif.
Bruno Escalante, Waimanalo, Hawaii

119 lbs/54 kg:
Gary Russell, Jr., Capitol Heights, Md. - will win if healthy
Ronny Rios, Santa Ana, Calif.
David Clark, San Diego, Calif
Sammy DiPace, Las Cruses, N.M.
Sergio Perales, Los Fresnos, Texas
Roberto Marroquin, Dallas, Texas
Jessy Cruz, Miami, Fla.
Alexis Ramos, Ft. Carson, Colo.

125 lbs/57 kg:
Raynell Williams, Cleveland, Ohio
Hylon Williams, Houston, Texas
Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif
Shemuel Pagan, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Duran Caffero, Helena, Mont.
Robert Rodriguez, Evans, Colo.
Troy Wohosky, Medford, Ore.
Rosey Summerville, San Antonio, Texas
This weight class is wide open at the top. Shemuel Pagan really surprised me. Hylon Williams and Raynell Williams will always have close bouts as they are both skilled boxers. Rico Ramos didn't do enough in several of his bouts and has to get busier.

132 lbs/60 kg:
Terence Crawford, Omaha, Neb.
Miguel Gonzalez, Cleveland, Ohio
Jerry Belemontes, Corpus Christi, Texas
Sadam Ali, New York, N.Y.
Diego Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev.
Mason Menard, Rayne, La.
Antton Slaughter, Columbus, Ohio
James Villa, Ft. Carson, Colo.

Any of the top 5 guys listed above could win the trials on any given day. They are that closely matched.

141 lbs/64 kg:
Javier Molina, Commerce, Calif.
Danny Garcia, Philadelphia, Pa.
Brad Solomon, Douglasville, Ga.
Dan O'Connor, Framingham, Mass.
Jermey Bryan, Clifton, N.J.
Michael Dallas, Bakersfield, Calif
Andre Sherard, Milwaukee, Wisc.
Samuel Martinez, Jacksonville, N.C.

This bracket is even more competitive with all 8 boxers having a legitimate chance at winning the Trials box-offs.

152 lbs/69 kg:
Demetrius Andrade, Providence, R.I. - will probably win the trials
Charles Hatley, Dallas, Texas - has a fair chance against Andrade
Keith Thurman, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Dominique Dolton, Detroit, Mich. - young and maturing but trials are probably too soon. If the trials were next spring then he would have a better chance.
Mahlon Kerwick, Fort Carson, Colo.
Boyd Melson, Ft. Carson, Colo.
Anthony Campbell, Covington, Tenn.
David Lopez, Parma, Idaho

165 lbs/75 kg:
Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Fernando Guerero, Salisbury, Md.
Jonathon Nelson, Little Rock, Ark.
Daniel Jacobs, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dominic Wade, Largo, Md.
Shawn Estrada, Downey, Calif.
Angel Santos, Newark, N.J.
Zachaeus Hardwick, Ft. Carson, Colo.

This class could boil down to the draw. I don't see Jacobs defeating Porter, but he is better suited to defeating some of the other top guys. Guerrero v. Porter would be another battle. Nelson has given both Porter and Guerrero close bouts recently. Wade is a ? Estrada is strong and has a more remote chance than the top 4. Santos and Hardwick are real long shots.

178 lbs/ 81 kg:
Christopher Downs, Ft. Carson, Colo. - the clear favorite
Siju Shabazz, Las Cruces, N.M.
DeRae Crane, Davenport Iowa
Yathomas Riley, San Diego, Calif.
Angel Concepcion, East Orange, N.J.
Cymone Kearney, Oakland, Calif.
Jeffrey Spencer, Ft. Carson, Colo.
Nicholas Swan, Great Falls, Mont.

201 lbs/91 kg:
Deontay Wilder, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Quantis Graves, Cutoff, La.
Adam Willett, Belport, N.Y.
Anthony Tettis, Ridgeway, Pa.
James Zimmerman, san Jose, Calif.
Joe Guzman, Ft. Carson, Colo.
David Carey, Anchorage, Ak.
Alecco Lawton, Orlando, Fla.

A very competitive weight class. I could see any of the top 4 or 5 winning it. Zimmerman (#5 above) would need the right draw.

201+ lbs/91+ kg:
Michael Hunter, Las Vegas, Nev.
Mike Wilson, Central Point, Ore.
Nate James, Malden, Mass
Lenroy Thompson, Port St. Lucie
William Moore, Ft. Carson, Colo.
Kimdo Bethel, Albany, N.Y.
Andrew Shepherd, Ft. Carson, Colo
Josh Parsons, Barbousville, W.V.
It will come down to the top 3 guys - Hunter, Wilson and James

Of the boxers with automatic byes into the quarter-finals:
Armed Svs Champs – 1 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze, 1 failed to enter the tourney and 7 lost in the quarter-finals
GG – 3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze and 2 lost in quarter-finals
NPAL – 2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze and 4 lost in quarter-finals
Therefore 6 gold medalists and 6 silver medalists only boxed 3 times. 7 bronze medalists boxed only twice.

squarering · Post by **squarering** » 14 Jun 2007, 15:23

Danial Jacobs did not train at altitude and that did play a factor. I think it is safe to say that most boxers will step up to put thier best stuff out front. We all know styles make bouts and the trials will be very interesting to say the least.

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » 14 Jun 2007, 15:51

Hal - I too look forward to the bouts. I won't be going so I will have to rely on people like you to post comments. It would be GREAT if the box-offs were televised, but we all know that is unlikely to happen. Even if it is televised, it most likely would not be live and would be tape-delayed.

docjock · Post by **docjock** » 17 Jun 2007, 03:45

106 - Yanez

112 - Rau'shee

119 - Russell/Rios

125 - Raynell Williams

132 - Belmontes

141 - Jeremy Bryan

152 - Charles Hatley

165 - Porter

178 - Downs

201 - Wilder

201+ - Wilson/James

At least three of those are right.

No Mark Davis, Dynamite, Rosinsky, Carter, De La Cruz, Martyniouk, etc is a bummer. Some of it was draw, some of it was no altitude training, some of it was hungry JO boxers. But mostly, it was too many eggs in one basket. A2P or not, this was a risky way to get to the 8 and there are boxers who probably shouldn't be in there.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 17 Jun 2007, 11:44

Just to make a comment - most of the boxers named who lost have boxed in Colorado Springs for at least 4 years and are used to the altitude. Not every boxer has the opportunity to "train in altitude" and many do well that don't.

Since we knew the end of last year that A2P probably wasn't going to be around, there was no reason to keep the qualifying schedule the way it was. Let's hope USA Boxing doesn't do this for 2012.

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » 18 Jun 2007, 09:31

Yes, altitude does have a small effect. Most boxers who complain the most aren't in proper shape to compete at sea-level let alone at 6,000 feet. If we really wanted to make it a challenge, we could change the location to the top of Pike's Peak. At 14,110 feet, there is a major effect on athletes or anyone else for that matter!

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 19 Jun 2007, 22:17

I would say the altitude at Colorado Springs would definitely play an effect on the fighters, especially the guys from sea level. I remember when I first moved to Montana; I came from the DC area (same are as Dominic Wade, his gym had actually tried to get me to come to theirs when I had my first fight in 2004, but I stuck at Laurel). When I came up to where I live, Bozeman, which is 5,000 feet up, it was hell on my stamina. Coming from low sea level, and an area with heavy pollution on top of that, and going to extremely thin area in the mountains is hard on a body. It pays dividends training at high altitude though, when your body adapts to pulling oxygen from it, you'll have an advantage. A lot of other countries, like Russia, will train for international comp at high altitude, the USA should invest more in it. Unfortunately our amateur program is so off kilter right now they can't afford to.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 19 Jun 2007, 22:38

You can probably bet that the World Championships and Olympic training camps will be held in Colorado Springs. However, not all of our elite boxers are able to altitude train prior to the U.S. Championships. Most of them do well without the acclimation.

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » 20 Jun 2007, 23:16

boxmel wrote:You can probably bet that the World Championships and Olympic training camps will be held in Colorado Springs. However, not all of our elite boxers are able to altitude train prior to the U.S. Championships. Most of them do well without the acclimation.

I have read mixed reports about training at altitude for bouts that will take place near sea level like the World Championships in Chicago.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 18:12

My only experience with it was fighting in Seattle early this year, when I normally live at high altitude. I will say, for me at least, I wasn't tired at all. It was shocking how easy it was for me to breathe.

Just a quick question, I noticed it earlier in the thread-what's meant by Shawn Estrada self-destructing? I've noticed on his profile on USA Boxing there do seem to be a few DQs on there and all.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 21 Jun 2007, 18:58

Kolya, Shawn has a habit of, once he gets in the ring, committing most of the known fouls - he has holding down to a fine science. He turns into a different person during a bout and seems to forget most of his training. He has excellent skills and good power, plus being a nice, quiet kid, and manages to lose most of that when competing. The why of it is a mystery to those of us who know him - it's almost like he has to psych himself up in the ring to the point of making mistakes. Hopefully he'll be calm and focused at the Box-offs.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 19:21

boxmel wrote:Kolya, Shawn has a habit of, once he gets in the ring, committing most of the known fouls - he has holding down to a fine science. He turns into a different person during a bout and seems to forget most of his training. He has excellent skills and good power, plus being a nice, quiet kid, and manages to lose most of that when competing. The why of it is a mystery to those of us who know him - it's almost like he has to psych himself up in the ring to the point of making mistakes. Hopefully he'll be calm and focused at the Box-offs.

That's what it is. Amy Sowers, who's from the same club as me, told me about him at Nationals. I asked her to watch the top guys at 165 for me because I wanted to know how they boxed, what they were like and what not. Estrada fought before Porter and Jacobs, so when she told me about him, she said "I actually wasn't that impressed. You can tell he's good, but it looked like he was just trying to knock his opponent's head off, not boxing or anything. They were just standing there and whoever hit harder was going to win." I don't know, different guys do different things before they fight, maybe that's how he retains his sanity before fighting.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 21 Jun 2007, 19:40

Well - I don't know about sanity.....Shawn is pretty sane most of the time.

It's like he gets nervous in the ring and wants to win to the point of forgetting his skills. I think Amy's assessment is pretty right on. Also when Shawn is asked why he "blanks" during competition, he honestly doesn't know why. He's been boxing since the JOs, so it's not as if he doesn't have enough national, or international, experience.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 19:56

boxmel wrote:Well - I don't know about sanity.....Shawn is pretty sane most of the time. It's like he gets nervous in the ring and wants to win to the point of forgetting his skills. I think Amy's assessment is pretty right on. Also when Shawn is asked why he "blanks" during competition, he honestly doesn't know why. He's been boxing since the JOs, so it's not as if he doesn't have enough national, or international, experience.

Hmm. You know, I don't know if you know Shawn, and maybe this wouldn't be his cup of tea. But I had a problem like his when I started, it's why I lost my first two fights. I had anxiety attacks because I get something almost like stagefright, I'm aware of being scrutinized (and boxing is a nerve wracking thing, anyway). What I was taught is a bretahing exercise that helps calm you down and prevent your mind from going wild and what not. It worked for me and I haven't had a problem since then, maybe something similar would work for him? I honestly didn't know why I seized up when I fought before either, it's just the natural anxiety a person gets fighting showing itself, regardless of experience.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 21 Jun 2007, 21:36

I've known Shawn since he started boxing and he's always had this problem to some extent, more so since he's been in the open division. Unfortunately, I probably won't see him until the Box-offs, but will be happy to pass along your suggestion.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 21:49

Cool. All it basically is is breathe in for 5 seconds. Hold it for 5 seconds, then release for 5 seconds. The focus is controlling the pace of your breathing and not hyperventilating, and letting your body relax. After a repetition of that 5-5-5, take 2 normal breaths, and then another 5-5-5. Repeat that about 10 times or so, works wonders, for me at least it did. Hopefully this doesn't backfire if I end up having to fight him next year.

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 21 Jun 2007, 21:54

He'll probably turn pro if he doesn't make the Olympic team, so I highly doubt that you'll end up boxing him.......but you never know.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 22:01

boxmel wrote:He'll probably turn pro if he doesn't make the Olympic team, so I highly doubt that you'll end up boxing him.......but you never know.

I was wondering if many of our guys who are at the top at 165 will stick around or turn pro if they don't make the Olympics. I'm near 100% certain Junior Caferro, at 125, will stay amateur. But especially with guys like Daniel Jacobs and Shawn Estrada coming from big cities where boxing is a bigger sport, I'm not surprised they could be turning pro. So next years Golden Gloves and Nationals could be wide open; with a lot of the top guys turning pro or going to the Olympics?

boxmel · Post by **boxmel** » 21 Jun 2007, 22:28

Most of the boxers who have been around since 2004 will probably turn pro. Those coming up will be the athletes from the JO program who will, hopefully, stick around until 2012. I'm pretty sure we'll see a complete revamping in all the weight classes - that usually happens after the Box-offs and Olympics.

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » 21 Jun 2007, 22:38

Cool. I hope USA Boxing has room for a 6'4 middleweight in the revamping.