Here are my Olympic Boxing Semi-Final predictions for the middleweight and heavyweights. These bouts will take place on Friday the 22nd at 3:00 a.m. EST (middle) and 3:30 a.m. (heavy). We’ll analyze how I did on Saturday. (Jabandgrapple picks in bold)

Middleweight Semifinals
Darren Sutherland (IRL) vs. James Degale (GBR)
Sutherland likes to scrap and that makes him a jabandgrapple favorite. He throws punches, combination even! He boxes, he engages his opponent, he doesn’t dance and he works hard. These shouldn’t be unique qualities in a boxing tourney but these Olympic Games aren’t just any competition. In the quarters he beat the …read more

Here are my Olympic Boxing Semi-Final predictions for the flyweight, featherweight and light welterweight. These bouts will take place on Friday the 22nd at 1:30 a.m. EST (fly), 2:00 a.m. EST (feather) and 2:30 a.m. (light welter). We’ll analyze how I did on Saturday. (Jabandgrapple picks in bold)

Flyweight Semifinals
Andry Laffita (CUB) vs. Georgy Balakshin (RUS)
When Olympic boxing began most expected a lot of Cuba vs. Russia medal matchups. Then something strange happened: the vaunted Russians couldn’t get points from the judges while the Cubans got every benefit of the doubt. Laffita is a very experienced fighter who really enjoys running. …read more

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 …read more

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 …read more

After three solid days of non-stop Olympic boxing television viewing I’ve finally decided what sport reminds me of…and it ain’t good. Olympic boxing brings back memories of a Christmas past when I asked for and received a video game I had been anticipating for months. A video game that had deep game play and required countless hours of play to finish.
I quickly unwrapped the present started the console machine and plopped myself in front of the television for what would be hours of non-stop gaming. Over the first few hours I was disappointed in the clunky game play, stupid puzzles, …read more

Thoughts on the Flyweight Olympic boxing draw
Official Link to the Flyweight draw

Flyweight (48-51kg / 112 lbs.)
Defending world champion Rau’shee Warren didn’t get any favors. The three other 2007 World Championships medalists are all on his side of the bracket. If the Cincinnati native and 2004 Athens Olympian gets through the first two rounds his quarters opponent could be 2007 bronze winner Italian Vincenzo Picardi.
A Warren win could set up a rematch with his World Championship semifinals victim, Azerbaijani Samir Mammadov, or his finals opponent Thai Somjit Jongjohor.
Regardless, the eventual Olympian silver medalist will be earning his first worldwide competitive …read more

In our light heavyweights first day summary we said that Tajikstan’s Djakhon Kurbanov “dominated” defending world champ Abbos Atoev and merely that the referee stopped Croatian Marijo Sivolija-Jelica bout against Samoan Satupaitea Farani Tavui in the third round.
That was before we saw the matches on TV which were shown on tape delay in the United States. We take back everything we said. Print results can be deceiving. To our eyes Djakhon Kurbanov didn’t dominate Abbos Atoev at all. The fight looked very close to us. In fact we might have even thought Atoev landed more clean punches than the …read more

After finishing NBC’s first Olympic boxing broadcast my first thoughts are WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!
The 150 minute-long pugilist extravaganza aired last night starting at 2 a.m. on CNBC and Universal HD. Nearly all of the day’s matches were shown!
Who was announcing the events? The great Bob Papa accompanied by a subdued Teddy Atlas who clearly is pacing himself for the marathon of boxing matches in his future.
I am amazed at the sheer volume of boxing shown. I was expecting only to see American fighters or highlighted athletes. I was wrong. Amazing stuff.
Will I even leave the …read more

The whole idea of constant Olympic boxing coverage made my head spin so I made I schedule of when every event happens and its corresponding eastern standard time beginning. This schedule reflects only the events themselves and NOT the television schedule. But if the first night’s coverage is any indication the first sessions of the first rounds should all be broadcast with a very slight tape delay.
Click to read more for the full schedule.

Image details: XV Pan American Games – Day 14 served by picapp.com
He’s back and not a moment too soon. The Dallas Morning News reports that late last night U.S.A. Boxing reinstated its team captain and 106-pound representative Luis Yanez. The team leaves for Beijing next Tuesday.
The terms of the reinstatement attest to www.jabandgrapple.com’s opinion that the suspension was never about what was best for Luis Yanez; instead it was an ill-timed power play by an unqualified coach who has lost his team.
In order to return, the Morning News reports, Yanez must publicly apologize USA Team Boxing CEO, his …read more