The full roster of Beijing boxing Olympians was finalized with yesterday’s bronze medal matches at the Second Americas Qualifiers in Guatemala City. 258 total pugilists spanning 11 weight classes, 6 continents, and 75 countries.
Russia, the only country sending a full set of 11 boxers, sports the most fearsome and decorated side. At the 2007 World Boxing Championships they won three golds, three silvers, and two bronzes. These fighters will surely go to Beijing as medal favorites.
Four countries will be sending ten pugilists: China, Cuba, and Morocco, and Kazakhstan. The Chinese are not well represented in the professional stage but …read more

Yesterday afternoon East Los Angeles middleweight Shawn Estrada became the ninth member of the American boxing team to qualify for the Olympic Games. He did it in determined fashion at the second American qualifiers in Guatemala City battling his Brazilian opponent Yamaguchi Florentine tooth and nail knowing that glory lay at the end of a positive four-round decision.
The match started tentatively with the two nervous fighters ably gaging each others strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the second the score was a sluggish 1-1. Then, with the flick of a switch the action picked up. The fighters traded …read more