Here are my Olympic Boxing Semi-Final predictions for the welterweights, light heavyweights, and super heavyweights. These bouts will take place on Friday the 22nd at 8:30 a.m. EST (welter), 9:00 a.m. (light heavy) and 9:30 a.m. (super heavy). We’ll analyze how I did on Saturday. (Jabandgrapple picks in bold)

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Welterweight Semifinals

Carlos Banteaux (CUB) vs. Hanati Silamu (CHN)
Banteaux and Hanati are the top two ranked remaining competitors. I shudder to say fighters because the Chinese have done little fighting during this competition. This match could be 20-19 given the ease with which Cubans and Chinese have received points from the judges this tourney. I’m pulling for Banteaux because Hanati beat one of my favorites of the tourney: Bahama’s Toureano Johnson.

Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (KAZ) vs. Kim Jung-Joo (KOR)
For the love of boxing lets hope that the hug specialist that is Kim does not win. Kim beat terrific American prospect Demetrius Andrade with phantom-landing jabs and many embraces. Was his victory as egregious as the Korean’s win over Roy Jones, Jr. in 1988? Possibly. Go Sarsekbayev!

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Light Heavyweight Semifinals

Tony Jeffries (GBR) vs. Kenneth Egan (IRL)
It’s a battle of British Isle brutes. Both waltzed through their quarterfinal matchup - Jeffries 10-2 Egan 8-0 - and have clinched a rare boxing medal for the Anglophone world. Jeffries isn’t the most graceful fighter but he throws far more jabs than your average Olympian, which is refreshing because it makes the sport seem more like actual boxing. But Egan is a tough, strong, physical fighter and he’s our pick because we don’t understand a word of what he says in his post-fight interviews.

Zhang Xiaoping (CHN) vs. Yerkebuian Shynaliyev (KAZ)
Shynaliyev won his fight against Djakhon Kurbanov after the Tajik bit him in the neck. He’ll be too bothered by Zhang’s rough and tumble clutching style. Either that or the biased pro-Chinese judges with give Zhang the win.

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Super Heavyweight Semifinals

Vyacheslav Glazkov (UKR) vs. Zhang Zhilei (CHN)
Zhang is a ba-a-a-a-d man. Maybe you missed his destruction of Kazakh Ruslan Myrsatayev. I didn’t. Zhang doesn’t hold and grab as much as the other Chinese boxers and he’s my pick despite my Ukrainian blood.

Roberto Cammarelle (ITA) vs. David Price (GBR)
Price took out Russian Islam Timurziev in his first match and then lucked into a walkover against Jaroslav Jaksto in the quarters. Defending world champ Cammarelle has been less than impressive. I’m going for the upset.

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

Welterweight (69 kg / 152 lbs.)
In their Olympics preview edition Sports Illustrated picked Briton Billy Joe Saunders to win light welterweight bronze. Problem is Billy Joe is fighting at welterweight and while he might have an amazing backstory remarkable back story (his great grandfather, alive and well at 95, was a bare knuckle Traveller boxing champ) he faces a very tough road to medal glory in Beijing.

Saunders will face 2007 World Championship bronze medalist Adem Kilicci, who hails from Turkey, in the first round and also sees Cuban Carlos Banteaux and 2007 silver winner Thailand’s Non Boonjumnong in his top quarter of the bracket.

Defending world champ American Demetrius Andrade, on the other hand, has few dangerous fighters in his half of the bracket. The same Sports Illustrated issue predicted a bronze for Andrade’s first round opponent Georgian Kakhaber Zhvania primarily on the strength of Zhvania 11-22 loss to Andrade in the first round of the 2007 Worlds. SI, whose predictions came pre-draw, also said Andrade would win gold. Both can’t win medals and we think Andrade will repeat his dominating performance in the rematch. Demetrius has the best chance of any American fighter to win gold in Beijing.

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

Round of 16
Thursday, August 14
First Session 1:30 a.m. - 2:30 a.m. EST
Second Session 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. EST

Quarterfinals
Saturday, August 17
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. EST

Semifinals
Friday, August 22
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. EST

Final
Saturday, August 23
3:15 a.m. EST