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

Middleweight (75kg / 165 lbs)
The first round of the Olympic middleweight tourney is over and we’ve already seen a rematch of a 2007 Chicago World Championship quarterfinal bout. Bronze winner Bakhtiyar Artayev from Kazakhstan began his difficult Beijing path by defeating Said Rachidi from Morroco again. The match wasn’t as high scoring as Bakhtiyar’s 19-11 defeat of Said in Chicago but the 8-2 score was just as decisive.
Next up for Artayev is 2007 gold medalist Russian Matvey Korobov who looked very good in defeating Sweden’s Terbunja Naim …read more

The U.S. Boxing team got off to a good start in the ring as American middleweight Shawn Estrada coasted to a 10-2 victory over Argentina’s Ezequiel Maderna. Estrada jumped out to a solid 3-0 first round lead which he extended to a commanding 7-1 edge after the second.
Estrada will face Great Britain’s James Degale in the round of 32. Should he defeat Degale the face gets increasingly difficult for the Los Angeles native. His prospective quarterfinal opponent would be the winner of the Matvey Korobov vs. Bakhtiyar Artayev bout. Russia’s Korobov is the defending world champion while Artayev won a …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

Image details: Olympic Test Event – 2007 International Boxing Invitational served by picapp.com
Sunday was a good day for the United States Olympic Boxing Team. Both Shawn Estrada and Michael Hunter II won their bouts in the Guatemala City second Americas Olympic Qualifiers tourney while the rest of the team marched to a decisive 9-2 dual meet victory against the Puerto Rican amateur team in Philadelphia.
Shawn Estrada won his second match of the tourney with a controlling 13-2 against Colombia’s Alexander Brand. Estrada rode to an early 8-2 lead through the second round and held his adversary scoreless the rest of …read more

The full United States Olympic Boxing team is action this weekend. The eight members who have already qualified for Beijing are competing tonight against their Puerto Rican amateur adversaries in Philadelphia while the remaining three are vying for their Olympic spots at the second Americas Qualifier being held this week in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The Philadelphia event is being held at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. Tickets range from $17 to $67. There are both group and Temple student discounts. The card features a bout in all eleven weight classes and is headlined by future American stars including the flashy lightweight Sadam …read more