Here are my Olympic Boxing Semi-Final predictions for the light flyweights, bantamweights, and lightweights. These bouts will take place on Friday the 22nd at 7:00 a.m. EST (light fly), 7:30 a.m. (bantam) and 8:00 a.m. (light). We’ll analyze how I did on Saturday.

Light Flyweight Semifinals

Paddy Barnes (IRL) vs. Zou Shiming (CHN)
Paddy Barnes has yet to face especially formidable competition. That changes against two-time world champion and home crowd favorite Zou Shiming. Zou’s awkward punch-and-grab style might be harsh on the eyes and he may have rightly lost his second round bout against Nordine Oubaali but there is zero chance he loses to Barnes.

Purevdori Serdamba (MGL) vs. Yampier Hernandez (CUB)
Yampier has been dominant in Beijing winning his last to bouts 21-6 and 21-3. That’s right, the judges actually gave someone 20 points in this tourney. Unbelievable. Mongolia’s Purevdori Serdamba unfairly squeaked by American Luis Yanez and his style is more suited to wrestling. If the boxing gods are in Beijing (and it’s doubtful that they are) then Hernandez wins big again.

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Bantamweight Semifinals

Yankiel Leon (CUB) vs. Bruno Julie (MRI)
Julie might be the only African boxing medalist. Odds are it’s going to be a bronze. Leon has been a lot tidier in his matches and should dominate the Indian Ocean islander. The gold is Leon’s to lose.

Veaceslav Gojan (MDA) vs. Enkhbat Badar-Uugan (MGL)
Moldova vs. Mongolia. Only in Olympic boxing. Gojan won his first round match 1-1. One to One! How much holding do you think happened in that match. I can’t abide by that. Go Badar-Uugan.

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Lightweight Semifinals

Hrachik Javakhyan (ARM) vs. Alexey Tishchenko (RUS)
Javakhyan has yet to have a point scored against him. How’s that possible? First round bye. Second round 12-0 against the very inexperienced Nigerian Rasheed Lawal. Third round walkover. His astounding streak will end against Tishchenko who has been one of the more attractive (conventional) boxers in this stinker of an Olympic tournament. Alexey fights as if he is in a boxing match. Mercy me!

Yordenis Ugas (CUB) vs. Daouda Sow (FRA)
Both Ugas and Sow faced tough competition in the quarters and both emerged with close wins. Ugas is a smooth, confident fighter, Sow is an octopus-like grabber. Let’s hope Ugas can outsmart Sow’s awkwardness. If Ugas wins boxing fans will be the victor.

Quick thoughts on the Bantamweight Olympic boxing draw.
Official Link to the Bantamweight Draw

Bantamweight (54kg / 119 lbs)
At the 2007 World Championships Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo (his twin brother McWilliams is a flyweight Olympian) lost 20-9 in the semifinals to Russian Sergey Vodopyanov after storming through the competition. Unfortunately, at the Olympics McJoe is paired against Vodopyanov in the first round.

Arroyo and Vodopyanov aren’t the only 2007 medalist in the lower half of the bracket. They are joined there by silver medalist Enkhbat Badar-Uugan from Mongolia and the other bronze winner Great Britain’s Joseph Murray. The boxer to emerge from this side will have run a gauntlet.

The top half is much less competitive and may offer a surprise finalist. Favorites Héctor Manzanilla from Venezuela and Cuban Yankiel Leon will try to end any underdog’s hopes.

First Round
Tuesday, August 12
First Session 3:00 a.m. - 4:15 a.m. EST
Second Session 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. EST

Round of 16
Friday, August 15
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. EST

Quarterfinals
Monday, August 18
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. EST

Semifinals
Friday, August 22
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. EST

Final
Sunday, August 24
2:00 a.m. EST

This Saturday undefeated WBA bantamweight title holder and Ring Magazine’s #3 ranked 118-pounder Wladimir Sidorenko (21-0-2) puts his title on the line against Ring’s #9 Panamanian Anselmo Moreno (21-1) in Düsseldorf, Germany. The fight will not be covered on American television but that doesn’t mean it isn’t of great interest to www.jabandgrapple.com.

You see, Mister Sidorenko is most likely a distant relative of yours truly. The Sydor, Sedor, Sidor name and all its Cyrillic-derived variations is not very common. My grandfather also did indeed immigrate from the Ukraine, Sidorenko’s home country. But what does he fight like? Graham Houston, the fight writer, describes him as “one of those hard-working, well-schooled fighters who had a thorough grounding in the amateurs (including winning an Olympic bronze medal) and he is durable and adaptable.”

See for yourself below in Part Two of his most recent fight, a 12-round decision over the tough Japanese boxer Nobuto Ikehara in Osaka.

Click on parts One, Two, Three, Four, and Five for the rest of the fight.

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