Notes on the Olympic Draw re U.S. Boxers
Melanie Ley
U.S. Boxer Set To Meet Cuban Prior To Medal Rounds
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., September 14, 2000 — The good news for the
U.S. Boxing Team coming out of the boxing draw held last night (or
Thursday, Sydney time) is that the U.S. won’t face a Cuban opponent
until the medal rounds in all but one weight division. However, the
draw was unkind for those looking forward to a Felix Savon-Michael
Bennett heavyweight (201 pounds/91 kg) final, as they were both
launched on a collision course that will knock one of them out of the
Olympics without a medal. So, the dream gold medal bout everyone was
hoping for won’t materialize, as both boxers could possibly face each
other in the quarterfinals.
“If I lose, I’m still happy to have a chance to box against the best,”
he told the Associated Press. “He’s a legend.”
“It won’t be a final, but that might be the final,” commented U.S.
head coach Tom Mustin after the draw of the likely Savon-Bennett
clash.
The fire between these two has been brewing since last year’s world
championships when Cuba protested a bout in the 147-pound weight class
and thus pulled Savon from his finals matchup with Bennett.
Savon enters these Olympic Games as one of the most decorated amateur
boxers ever. The six-time world champion is gunning for his third
consecutive Olympic gold medal, which would tie the accomplishments of
fellow countryman Teofilo Stevenson and Lazlo Papp of Hungary. In
contrast, Bennett, who served a seven-year sentence for armed robbery,
was released in July of 1998. Since then, however, he has risen
quickly to the top by winning a silver medal at the 1999 U.S.
Championships, a gold at the 1999 World Championships, and a national
title in 2000.
“I was very disappointed when I wasn’t able to face Savon at the World
Championships,” said Bennett. “I mean, who doesn’t want to knock the
lion off of the mountain? He is a legend in amateur boxing and I have
a lot of respect for him. But there is only one winner for every
bout.”
Bennett’s teammate and fellow world champ Brian Viloria of Waipahu,
Hawaii, is up against a tough road in defending his world No. 1
ranking in the light flyweight (106 pounds/48 kg) division. His first
opponent is Russian Serguei Kazakov. Not only is Viloria the only
U.S. boxer facing a Russian opponent in the first round, but he’s the
only boxer matched up against a familiar foe. Kazakov and Viloria met
once before in a 1998 USA-Russia dual in Mashantucket, Conn. Viloria
won that bout in an 11-10 decision. These two face each other Sunday,
September 17 at 7 p.m.
Cuba’s Maikro Romero, thought to be Viloria’s biggest challenge to
gold, is also lined up on the same side of the bracket as the
19-year-old Hawaiian. If the tournament goes as expected, the two
would meet in the semifinals.
The other U.S. boxer with a not-so-favorable draw is super heavyweight
(+201 pounds/+91) Calvin Brock, despite being in the opposite bracket
from Cuban giant Alexis Rubalcaba. The Charlotte, N.C., native will
face Paolo Vidoz of Italy in the first round, and then Russia’s Alexey
Lezin prior to even meeting the Cuban. Vidoz has won back-to-back
bronze medals at the last two World Championships, while Lezin was the
bronze medal winner at the 1996 Olymipc Games. Brock’s first round
bout with Vidoz is set for the evening of September 23.
Despite the tough draw that Bennett, Viloria and Brock will face, the
rest of the U.S. team fared very well according to Mustin.
“As a whole, I am really pleased with the draw,” said Mustin. “We
missed some Cubans in some spots and we missed other tough guys. We
have some inexperienced guys going in that drew well their first time.
If we can get them on a roll and get their confidence up, they’ll be
all right.”
Reigning featherweight (125 pounds/57 kg) world champion Ricardo
Juarez of Houston, Texas will face Began Batmani of Iran. They will
box on Monday, September 18th, at 1:00 p.m. Juarez’s stiffest
competition will come from 1999 World Championships silver medalist
Tulkunbay Turgunov, whom he beat in August of last year for the gold
medal. They are slated to meet in the quarterfinals.
Los Angeles native Jose Navarro will face Ballo Hermensen Ballo from
Indonesia in the first round. The flyweight (112 pounds/51 kg) class
will begin their competition on Tuesday, September 19. Navarro will
compete in the afternoon session beginning at 1:00 p.m. Navarro will
be competing in his first major international competition since he
took silver at last year’s Pan American Games. Looking ahead in
Navarro’s weight class, his toughest competition could come in the
semifinals against 1996 Olympic silver medalist and reigning world
champion Bulat Jumadilov of Kazakhstan.
Three-time bantamweight (119 pounds/54 kg) national champ, Clarence
Vinson of Washington, D.C., will box Rachid Bouaita from France.
Vinson will be the first U.S. representative to box as he will compete
on Saturday, September 16 at 1:00 p.m. Vinson will have to go through
the 1999 reigning world champion from Romania, Crinu Olteanu, prior to
reaching the medal rounds. They will face one another in the
quarterfinals, should they both advance.
In the lightweight (132 pounds/60 kg) category, David Jackson of
Seattle, Wash., will face Tunisia’s Naofel Ben Rabah in his first
battle. The two will meet in the squared circle on Sunday, September
17, in the afternoon. Jackson’s biggest competition prior to the medal
rounds will be 1997 World Champion Alexandre Maletin from Russia, whom
he could meet in the quarterfinals.
Cincinnati sensation Ricardo Williams, Jr., was the only U.S. boxer to
draw an Australian in the first round of competition. Williams will
face Henry Collins in the opener of the 139-pound weight class on
Wednesday, September 20 in the afternoon.
Welterweight (147 pounds/67 kg) Dante Craig , also of Cincinnati,
will face Fadel Showban of Egypt in his first round bout. The two will
meet on the first day of boxing competition Saturday, September 16th
during the evening session. Craig, who was forced to have hand surgery
in May, will step into the ring for the first time since the Central
American Qualifier in April.
Light middleweight (156 pounds/71 kg) Jermain Taylor of Little Rock,
Ark., will square off against Dimitriy Usagin from Bulgaria in his
first round bout. The 156-pound weight class starts on Tuesday,
September 19 in the evening session. Taylor, who has a 15-2 record
internationally, could follow in light middleweight David Reid’s
footsteps should he win the gold medal. Reid was the sole gold medal
winner at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Middleweight (165 pounds/75 kg) Jeff Lacy, the hardest puncher on the
team, will face Cleiton Conceicao of Brazil in his first Olympic
Games match-up. Lacy, a native of St. Petersburg, Fla., is one of
five U.S. boxers that will not meet a Cuban in his weight class until
the finals. His biggest competition will come in the quarterfinals
against Utierbek Haydarov, the current world champion.
Light heavyweight (178 pounds/81 kg) Olanda Anderson, a sergeant in
the U.S. Army, was the only U.S. boxer to draw a bye. Anderson,
originally from Sumter, S.C., will face Rudolf Kraj of the Czech
Republic on September 24th in the afternoon. Anderson’s road will be
tough, as he will face 1996 Olympian Troy Ross of Canada in the
quarterfinals. Ross, a southpaw, is known for his hard-hitting style
and Anderson will have to box him from the outside to have any
success.
The boxing competition gets underway Saturday, Sept.16 at 3 p.m. from
Sydney, with first round action of both the 119 and 147-pound weight
classes. CNBC will begin its delayed television coverage of boxing
beginning that same day. The sister station of NBC will carry boxing
action during the network’s 5-9 p.m. EST daily telecasts, making it
the most televised sport of these Olympic Games.
Mel
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Ozruss2
advance
Melanie Ley
>hi all........does anyone have a date when jeff lacy fights?? thanks in
>advance
September 17, afternoon.