Boxing (Olympic)

Boxing took center stage at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, with officials handing out two bronze medals in the lightweight division, as well as a coveted gold in the flyweight division.

In the flyweight final, Colombia's Yurberjen Herney Martinez couldn't keep the feel-good story alive, falling at the hands of eventual gold medalist Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan.

In the first semifinal in the lightweight division, Lazaro Alvarez stunningly settled for bronze against Robson Conceicao. Later Sunday afternoon, Mongolia's Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu couldn't figure out the defensive posture of France's Sofiane Oumiha and had to settle for bronze.

Here are the medal results from the event and an updated look at the medal standings from Rio so far. The full list of results is available here.

Place	Athlete	Country
Men's lightweight (60kg) bronze	Lazaro Alvarez	Cuba
Men's lightweight (60kg) bronze	Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu	Mongolia
Men's light flyweight (46-49kg) gold	Hasanboy Dusmatov	Uzbekistan

   

Sunday Olympic Boxing Medal Results 

Men's Light (60kg) Semifinal 1: Robson Conceicao def. Lazaro Alvarez

Alvarez					Conceicao
R1	R2	R3	Total		R1	R2	R3	Total
10	9	9	28	Judge A	9	10	10	29
9	9	10	28	Judge B	10	10	9	29
10	9	9	28	Judge C	9	10	10	29

Conceicao assured the host country of Brazil a medal in boxing after his quarterfinal dismissal of Uzbekistan's Hurshid Tojibaev.

He entered Sunday as arguably his country's best shot at a gold medal in the sport. He also entered as one of Rio's top stories. Conceicao described his struggles to get proper equipment when he was younger to Boxing News' John Dennen before the semifinals.

“I went to the hospital and faked that I had an arm injury," Conceicao said. "The nurses covered my arm with bandages and then I used those bandages to tape my hands for training and sparring. My friend used to put flip-flops on both of his hands for me to punch when we trained."

Alvarez jumped out to an early lead in Round 1, scoring a 10 from two judges and performing as expected of the favorite, shunning Conceicao's advances and outpointing him.

The tide shifted in Round 2, though, with Conceicao looking comfortable in front of his supportive home crowd, securing a 10 on all three scorecards by simply improving his footwork and aggressiveness.

Conceicao then put on an epic flurry to finish the bout after a stoppage, according to the Associated Press' Greg Beacham:

#BRA Robson Conceicao comes back from a cut stoppage and gets crowd on its feet with furious action for the last 35 seconds.

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) August 14, 2016

Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix detailed the emotions in the ring after the upset:

Brazil's Robson Conceicao def. Cuba's Lazaro Alvarez, and that felt personal. No handshake, Conceicao made a kick motion after the decision.

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) August 14, 2016

The late flurry was enough to give the crowd favorite a win on two scorecards in the final round, meaning Conceicao will advance to fight for his country's first Olympic boxing gold medal Tuesday.

   

Men's Light Flyweight (46-49kg) Final: Hasanboy Dusmatov def. Yurberjen Herney Martinez

Martinez					Dusmatov
R1	R2	R3	Total		Total	R3	R2	R1
9	9	10	28	Judge A	29	9	10	10
9	9	9	27	Judge B	30	10	10	10
9	9	9	27	Judge C	30	10	10	10

Dusmatov entered Sunday’s bout after a dominating win against Nico Hernandez of the United States, the guy who knocked off No. 2 seed Vasily Egorov of Russia. He looked to keep the momentum alive against Martinez, the Cinderella story after he knocked off Cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos, who entered the tournament as a front-runner for gold.

Both entered confident, with Martinez arguably having more on the line as the first from Colombia to win silver or gold since 1988.

Dusmatov, the southpaw, took Round 1 with a 10-9 advantage on all three cards, pitching an assault on the underdog that had the second-round tally also at 10-9.

Martinez put up a better fight in the third round, hence his only 10 on the day, but even his own Colombian supporters had to offer kudos to Dusmatov, per Beacham:

Even the Colombian fans are loudly giving it up to #UZB Hasanboy Dusmatov, the early leader for the Val Barker Trophy at #Rio2016

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) August 14, 2016

Unlike Conceicao earlier in the day, Martinez just didn't have enough to survive a barrage and come back with enough to force an upset. Still, he can take solace in securing one of the top two spots on the podium for his country in almost three decades.

For Dusmatov, it's a fitting end to a great journey—a dominant one capped off with a routine show of force. It also gave Uzbekistan its first gold medal of the games.

   

Men's Light (60kg) Semifinal 2: Sofiane Oumiha def. Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu

Dorjnyambuu					Oumiha
R1	R2	R3	Total		Total	R3	R2	R1
9	9	10	28	Judge A	29	9	10	10
9	9	10	28	Judge B	29	9	10	10
9	9	10	28	Judge C	29	9	10	10

The final fight of the day was an aggressive one as expected. After moving past Reda Benbaziz in the quarterfinals, Dorjnyambuu came firing out of the gates from the center of the ring.

Oumiha, who beat Albert Selimov in the quarterfinals, looked calm despite staying on the defensive in the first round against Dorjnyambuu—it was almost a mirror image of his bout with Selimov.

Like his last bout, Oumiha weathered the storm and had little issues landing counterpunches in Round 2, taking it with ease while working counters to his opponent's head. It was the same story in Round 3, even though Dorjnyambuu pushed down on the accelerator because he could sense the deficit growing.

Dorjnyambuu simply didn't have an answer for Oumiha's evasion-riddled style and had to settle for bronze. For the French superstar, it's on to the gold-medal match Tuesday against Brazil's Conceicao in front of what should be a raucous crowd.

Stats and information courtesy of Rio2016.com.   

A sleeping giant may finally be awakening for Team USA at the Rio Olympics.

The men’s boxing team, which has been mired in an embarrassing decline over the past two Summer Games, is guaranteed to put at least one athlete on the medals podium this time.

That’s faint praise for a team that holds the record for most total boxing medals at the Games and most golds, with 111 total and 49 gold. But that’s where the U.S. men stand after getting shut out for medals at the 2012 London Games. And 2008 wasn’t much better, with only one medal: a bronze.

The guaranteed medalist in Rio is light flyweight Nico Hernandez, who upset Russian Vasilii Egorov in the round of 16 but lost to Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov in the semifinals. Olympic boxing awards bronze medals to both semifinal losers, and Hernandez will receive his in a Sunday ceremony.

But America still appears to have a long way to go before it reminds anyone of the glory years. And what years they were.

The teams of 1960, 1964 and 1968 delivered three gold medalists who went on to professional reigns as heavyweight champions of the world: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

The 1976 team, led by Sugar Ray Leonard and the Spinks brothers, Leon and Michael, won five golds and added a silver and a bronze.

And the 1984 team at Los Angeles (boycotted by Soviet Bloc nations) ranks as the best ever, with nine golds, a silver and a bronze collected by a squad that had six future pro champs, including Evander Holyfield.

In Rio, U.S. bantamweight Shakur Stevenson is considered a strong medal contender, but other Americans have fallen out of the hunt.

Karlos Balderas lost in the lightweight division quarterfinals on Friday to Cuban Lazaro Alvarez, who was a bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics. Another American eliminated earlier was middleweight Charles Conwell, who lost his opening match to India's Krishan Vikas.

Light welterweight Gary Russell takes on Wuttichai Masuk of Thailand in the round of 16 on Sunday, and flyweight Antonio Vargas fights Brazil's Juliao Neto in the round of 32 on Saturday.

If the progress continues, much of the credit will be directed toward new coach Billy Walsh, an Irishman who was hired in 2014 after guiding his homeland's team to four medals in London. Technically, Walsh is listed as Team USA’s coach for women, but that is just a bookkeeping issue.

Walsh was hired at the urging of the U.S. Olympic Committee, which is paying his salary. He is expected to be named men’s coach after Rio.

Among those who support the move is Andre Ward, who would love to shed the title of “last American boxer to win Olympic gold.” Ward won in 2004 as a light heavyweight. He is 30-0 as a professional.

“I’d like to see this coaching staff stick around,” Ward said in a telephone interview this week. “I don’t agree with our coaching staff changing every four years, and sometimes two or three times in four years.”

Ward said that lack of coaching continuity is largely to blame for the U.S. downturn.

“I’m very close to the program and close to the athletes, and I just think it’s hard to build on a faulty foundation,” Ward told me. “If you look at the top teams, they have a coaching staff, and that staff is there for multiple Olympics.”

Ward added emphatically: “It’s not the talent. We have some of the best talent in the world, if not the best.”

When Ward won his gold, he studied video regularly with Al Mitchell, then the team’s technical adviser. Mitchell also was the head coach of the 1996 team that won six medals, including one gold, and was the technical adviser again at London in 2012.

“I can tell you everything that went wrong,” Mitchell said of the 2012 team, in a telephone interview. “They didn’t have the coaches who were going to be in the corners until a week or two before we went to London. … They didn’t have the competitions they should have had, and they didn’t have the camps they should have had.”

Mitchell, who is not on the Rio team's staff, avoids blaming any individuals and says the system was broken, from the top of USA Boxing all the way down to the marginally funded Junior Olympics, where many young boxers get their start.

Mitchell didn’t name Walsh, but regarding the coaching changes, he said: “I think now the national office [of USA Boxing] has the right idea, but we should have had one of our own.”

Both Ward and Mitchell see other problems for the future of Olympic boxing in the U.S., starting with the decision to allow professionals into Rio’s tournament.

Amid widespread criticism of the IOC’s decision to allow professional boxers into the Olympics, only three entered—across all nations—and all were eliminated before the medal rounds. It seems the Games are not a tempting prospect for pros. But Ward says the inclusion of professionals could end up putting U.S. amateurs at a disadvantage.

Ward also is concerned the decision to get rid of protective headgear will discourage young fighters from aiming for the Olympics, particularly in the U.S., where there's already a drive to go pro. The thinking is that if you're going to get beat up without the headgear, you might as well hasten to take the punishment for money and leave the Olympics to amateurs.

“If they had removed the headgear when I was fighting, I’m pretty sure my coach would have pulled me aside and said, ‘Why are we still fighting as amateurs?’”

Ward told me that he has been to several amateur tournaments where headgear wasn’t worn, and he also said: “I saw way too many cuts. I also saw a lot of knockouts. Not stoppages, but outright knockouts. … I’ll take the headgear any day of the week.”

Mitchell believes the removal of headgear is making more potential U.S. Olympians jump into the professional ranks, making the team's climb back to respectability even steeper.

“Every one of them I talk to, they say, 'Why should I keep boxing for trophies when I can go professional?'” the coach said. “You’ve got to remember that most international veterans are 25, 27, and most of our guys are 17, 18 or 19. You’ve already got a mature man going against a kid.”

          
Tom Weir covered 15 Olympics (eight Winter, seven Summer) as a columnist for USA Today. All quotations were obtained firsthand.

Moroccan Olympic boxer Hassan Saada was arrested Friday in Brazil on allegations of sexually assaulting two women Wednesday.

Continue for updates.

---

Saada Being Held in Brazilian Jail

Friday, Aug. 5

According to the Associated Press, the alleged victims are waitresses in the Olympic Village.

Saada will be jailed for 15 days while his case is examined under Brazilian law, which means he will miss his scheduled light heavyweight bout at the 2016 Rio Games against Turkey's Mehmet Nadir on Saturday.

The 22-year-old boxer was not expected to vie for a medal in Rio de Janeiro, but his jailing ensures he won't have an opportunity to compete.

Should the authorities take the full 15 days to decide his fate, Saada will either be charged or released on the eve of the Olympic closing ceremony.  

U.S. Olympic boxer Karlos Balderas, 19, comes from a supportive family with humble beginnings. What started off as a punishment for fighting with his brother has turned into a chance at a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.

As the first member of his family born in the United States, it means the world to Balderas to be able to represent his country at the Olympics.  

According to ESPN.com news services (in conjunction with the Associated Press), the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) has lifted the three-month suspension leveled against USA Boxing for remarks made by former president Hal Adonis.

The above-cited article states that Adonis, who made comments to The New Yorker magazine suggesting a link between "childhood abuse and successful boxers," has been removed as chairman of USA Boxing, though the governing body’s board of directors "still voted to retain Adonis as a board member."

Still, the news of the AIBA lifting USA Boxing’s suspension has to be greeted with some relief, even if the three-month ban would hardly have been a deathblow to the organization, given that it would not have coincided with the next World Amateur Championships or Olympics.

Though Adonis’ two-year ban from all AIBA-sanctioned events is still in effect, USA Boxing expressed its gratitude for the AIBA’s decision through its president, Dr. Charles Butler:

We are extremely grateful to AIBA for their willingness to lift the suspension and allow our athletes to participate in all boxing events so quickly. The athletes across the country were the biggest victims of this suspension, and we wanted to ensure that the mistakes of the organization's past leadership have as little impact on them as possible. (AIBA president) Dr. Wu agreed with us, lifted the suspension and expressed strong support to protect our athletes and the membership of USA Boxing.

It is somewhat easy to forget about amateur boxing between the World Championships and Olympic Games, especially considering that the 2012 U.S. men’s boxing team was shut out of the medals in London for the first time since 1980 when they boycotted the Moscow Games due to the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan.

The 2012 London Olympics were somewhat of a tipping point for a country that has historically been one of the dominant nations in amateur boxing. While the news of USA Boxing no longer being suspended is positive, it is also a reminder that the amateur program is at an impasse.

The U.S. has not produced a truly outstanding boxing team since 1988 when they captured eight medals. That squad featured the likes of Riddick Bowe, Kennedy McKinney, Ray Mercer and, of course, Roy Jones Jr.

In a somewhat ironic twist, the rule changes precipitated by Jones’ disgusting loss to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun in the light-middleweight final, which famously included the implementation of electronic scoring, have created a disconnect between professional and amateur boxing that has coincided with increased parity at the international level.

While Cuba and the Soviet Union had challenged the U.S. before the fateful ’88 Games in Seoul, recent Olympiads have also seen strong performances from Ukraine, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Italy and China (amongst others).

While it is unrealistic for the U.S. to expect medal hauls similar to 1976 or 1984, it would be beneficial for boxing in general if the Americans were more competitive in subsequent Olympiads. One does not have to be an American (I’m not) to realize that a strong amateur system serving as a breeding ground for professional prizefighters can help energize boxing in the world’s largest sports market.

Obviously, being an Olympic medalist—or an Olympian in general—does not guarantee professional success (see Ricardo Williams Jr., for instance). The fact remains, however, that Americans emerging from the Olympics have a leg-up on fellow prospects in terms of recognition and quickly advancing their careers.

The list of American Olympians who went on to attain championship success in the paid ranks is a long and impressive one. Also, when considering the ability to transcend boxing, the Olympic experience helped propel the likes of Muhammad Ali, Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya to crossover stardom.

Of course, a boxer does not need the Olympic experience to become a transcendent professional prizefighter (Mike Tyson quickly comes to mind). However, the fact remains that being a high-profile Olympian provides unique opportunities for professional promotion, while also offering a recognizable credential to the casual sports fan.

Despite being shut out of the medals (for men) in 2012, there are reasons for American amateur boxing fans to be optimistic heading into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. An ESPN.com report (via the Associated Press) confirmed that the AIBA is shifting to the 10-point scoring system used in professional boxing, which means that instead of just counting landed punches, fighters will be given credit for actually winning rounds and displaying a variety of skills.

Other changes, as reported on BoxingScene.com, include removing headgear for elite men’s tournaments and allowing professional fighters campaigning under the AIBA’s APB promotional banner to retain their Olympic eligibility. Americans trained in a professional style should benefit from these changes, and it is reasonable to expect the U.S. squad to be more competitive in 2016.

Whether the U.S. amateur system needs an overhaul, or whether American expectations need to be curbed as other nations continue to develop elite boxing talent, a three-month suspension would clearly have done nothing to benefit USA Boxing’s quest for redemption.

Part of that quest will begin on the undercard of 2008 Olympian Gary Russell Jr.’s November 9 ring return, when five members of the 2012 squad—Dominic Breazeale, Marcus Browne, Terrell Gausha, Errol Spence and Rau’shee Warren—will make their professional debuts after lengthy and successful amateur careers.

What USA Boxing does between now and 2016 could do much to impact the sport’s paid and unpaid ranks. Boxing has become a somewhat easy target for cheap jabs and low blows that tirelessly describe its supposed demise. But this is lazy and already tiresome. Boxing is not dead, and if Americans want to help the sport grow, showing a renewed interest in a rebuilding amateur system would be a positive step.

Following China's magnificent success in the London Games, People's Daily Online, the most authoritative news site in China, recently made the country's first English-language Chinese sports documentary series — Beyond Gold, which soon received global recognition.

Meanwhile, following a lasting dominating reign in the Olympic squared circle, Shiming Zou, China's most talented boxer, recently made it official that he decided to retire from amateur boxing and step into a professional career, a decision that soon attracted global attention.

Among those who have shown interest in these two events above, few have more authoritative opinions on both subjects than Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and a former athlete.

This elegant, well-mannered gentleman kindly spared some time and shared with this journalist his takes on the newly released sports documentary series Beyond Gold, and the two-time Olympic boxing champion Shiming Zou's future professional boxing career.

Journalist: Dr. Wu, you know, the first English-language Chinese sports documentary series, Beyond Gold (produced by People's Daily Online) just came out. Did you notice that?

Ching-Kuo Wu: Yes. I reviewed People's Daily Online's Beyond Gold pages and the documentaries. I think it's an excellent idea to deliver the sport by sport knowledge in such an appealing fashion. This is a very excellent online service to the people. I think it's a very important step forward. I really want to give my sincere compliment to the People's Daily Online. 

Journalist: Could you tell me more specifically your impression about this documentary series?

Ching-Kuo Wu: I think this excellent documentary series, I would say, the Beyond Gold, the title of this program speaks volume. The gold is every athlete's dream, what they are craving for. However, what represents the true Olympic spirit, the Olympic value is something that goes beyond the gold.

I hope many young people will look at People's Daily Online and watch this program. They will learn a lot from those athletes and get inspired by the program. This program certainly encourages more young people, not only to get involved in sports, but also to learn some important values for their life.

I am especially impressed by the documentaries on China's boxing. I think every sport needs this kind of a documentary.

Journalist: Talking about boxing, China's best boxer Shiming Zou has officially declared that he would retire from amateur boxing and start a pro career. As the AIBA President, what's your take on that? 

Ching-Kuo Wu: I think Shiming Zou certainly has tremendous potential. We would very much like him to join either the WSB or the APB. 

I hope his choice to join the professional is joining the APB, because he would be protected in the APB system and have a successful prolonged professional career. In the APB system, he could still have 10 years' boxing career until he reached 40.

And we offer a very secure income for the boxers joining the APB. If Shiming Zou decides to join, he'll receive very good income, and it would be stable and regular.  

It's not like the traditional pro boxing career, in which you have one competition and you get a sum of money. And I can tell you, the actual income of most boxers by signing this kind of professional contract is not very much. But for APB, we'll directly pay the boxer, sign a contract for five years and guarantee four matches a year, and the boxer could also participate in the Olympic Games if his age is under 35.

If Zou joins the APB, he can certainly represent China to participate in the next Olympic Games. So, I hope he'll make a very good decision. But anyway, we wish him good luck and continue to be successful in his boxing career.

Journalist: Do you mind if I inquire about the package the APB could offer to the boxers? 

Ching-Kuo Wu: It certainly depends on the boxers' performances and titles. The minimum is $30,000 to 40,000 USD a year. That's what we guarantee. And the boxers will also receive a lot of bonus(es). The top-ranked boxers could receive as much as $300,000 USD per year. That is a five-year contract. 

And there is one thing I want to address here, which is this: We'd very much like China to be a part of the future development of boxing. China has many good boxers and has the biggest number of the public to support the sport. If China is not willing to take part in the WSB, the APB could be another option.

We already have many many countries who want to take part in the 30 countries of the APB, but I still reserve this spot for China. We hope the Chinese Boxing Federation could make a quick decision. We'd love to see, in the forthcoming season, there will be a Chinese team.

Journalist: Lastly, regarding China's No.1 news site People's Daily Online that produced the Beyond Gold series, do you want to send some words to the site through the mass media?

Ching-Kuo Wu: I sincerely wish People's Daily Online to keep going, keep going to produce more excellent works to build a bridge between the public and sports. The AIBA currently has 196 national federations. I'll certainly encourage all member federations to add People's Daily Online to their respective media list. Hopefully, in very short time, People's Daily Online will become one of the word's leading websites.

China struck gold on home turf during the 2008 Olympic Games with a history-making boxing boom.

On the hot afternoon of Aug 24, 2008, at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, China closed its Olympic show with two golds, one silver and one bronze in the square ring.

The Asian Giant smashed the trio of Cuba, Russia and the United States, any of whom had ruled the tally table in boxing at every Olympics since 1942.

Cuba bagged eight total medals — four silvers, four bronzes yet no golds. Russia leveled China in golds, but trailed by one silver on the table. The once towering United States ended up with no gold, no silver and merely a single bronze.

With two golds, one silver and one bronze, China emerged as the new king in the amateur boxing world.

Being the host nation could be a double-edged sword, for the expectation of performing on home soil would be way above the norm. The pressure had to be measured against the boost from the local media, as witnessed by Chinese shooter Du Li's failure to win the first gold medal of the Games.

Yet Chinese boxers not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded the high expectations of both the government and media.

China's light flyweight Shiming Zou launched the bonanza by winning in an unexpectedly easy fashion when the other finalist from Mongolia retired with a shoulder injury that had plagued him before the Games early in the second round. 

Two hours after Zou's triumph, the biggest dark horse of the Olympic boxing tournament, Chinese light heavyweight Xiaoping Zhang, resumed his compatriot's remarkable feat, doubling the host nation's boxing golden tally by outpointing Ireland's Kenny Egan 11-7 in the final.

China's third finalist, super heavyweight Zhilei Zhang, was blocked from winning the third boxing gold medal for his country by the talented Italian Roberto Cammarelle.

Although being completely outclassed by his opponent in hand speed, athleticism and ring generalship from the sound of the opening bell (while taking several crunching blows to the jaw), the Chinese giant showed heart and admirable resistance against the two-time world champion before being forced to quit in the final round.

Hanati Silamu, the World Championships welterweight bronze medalist, finished third for the second time when he was awarded the bronze medal together with Korean Jung-Joo Kim at the medal ceremony.

China rang down the curtain on the premier boxing tournament with two golds, one silver and one bronze, ruling the roost in the gold medal tally.

Boxing in China was to come of age.

* * *

Zhenyu Li, a boxing historian and contributing columnist for some of the world's leading boxing publications, authors the "Beyond Gold" column for People's Daily Online in China.

The Philippines is hungry for a new boxing star.

The tiny nation may have one in Mark "Little Pacquiao" Barriga.

During the London Olympics, Barriga was the only representative the Philippines had in boxing. He did not have anywhere near the training or backing of some of the boxers from countries that could afford to train their boxers to a championship level.

However, Barriga came to the Olympic boxing tournament with speed, quickness, determination and the ability to wing power punches in the light flyweight division.

Barriga made a big impression in his first bout, pounding out a 17-7 victory over Italy's Manuel Cappai due to his advantage of speed, punching accuracy and hunger in the ring.

In the next round, Barriga faced Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan, who was given a 17-16 decision to end Barriga's medal aspirations. However, many observers thought Barriga had defeated Zhakypov clearly and that he had earned a spot in the third round.

The Philippines boxing team filed a protest over the decision, but that move was rejected out of hand. Barriga had been penalized for ducking and head-butting in the third round of that fight.

Despite his 1-1 Olympic record, Barriga is seen as a fighter with potential in the sport of boxing to rise to a high level and give his country a new star.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwk0LG4ousU

However, does Barriga have the ability and drive to become the Phillippines' next Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao?

On the surface, that seems a bit much because Barriga is just a 19-year-old with heart, athletic ability and a relentless fighting style.

He is going to need to become even more determined in his training, develop more punching power and show the hunger of the champion who carries the Phillippines' athletic standards on his shoulders.

Barriga is a 5'2" slugger, and you immediately notice his ability to wing punches in bunches. However, the biggest issue for Barriga may be developing more power. That's one of the best attributes that Pacquiao has in the ring.

When he is delivering punches with speed and accuracy, Pacquiao has the ability to hurt his opponent with either hand.

Barriga does not have that kind of overwhelming power at this point. He needs to get a lot stronger.

Pacquiao is supportive of Barriga, and he sent him a message of support following his Olympic defeat to Zhakypov. “He (Barriga) should not lose hope, there are still a lot of chances and he should take it (his loss) as charge to experience and a challenge to further improve his boxing skills so that he would know what to do next,” Pacquiao told ManilaBulletin.com.

He has many of the same attributes that Pacquiao has, including confidence, quickness and what appears to be a champion's heart.

But he will need the great training, determination and love of the sport that Pacquiao has.

These attributes can only be determined by boxing and training every day. So far, so good for Barriga, but there are many more miles to go.

In winning super heavyweight gold on home soil at the 2012 Olympic Games, Great Britain’s Anthony Joshua put the exclamation point on his meteoric rise to international amateur boxing prominence, while also showing a flare for the dramatic.

Joshua’s road to Olympic gold was fraught with tantalizing match-ups and razor-close decisions. In the opening round, Joshua drew the world’s number four-ranked super heavyweight in Cuba’s Erislandy Savon, nephew of Olympic boxing legend Felix Savon. Joshua prevailed by a score of 17-16, and he rode this momentum through the rest of the tournament.

Joshua’s second bout saw him triumph over Beijing silver medalist Zhilei Zhang of China (15-11), which guaranteed the gargantuan Brit at least a bronze medal. Joshua, however, won his semifinal bout over 6’9'' Kazak Ivan Dychko (13-11), a 2011 World Championship bronze medalist. Despite the competitive nature of Joshua’s first three victories—especially his first bout against Savon—these dramatic encounters would pale in magnitude when compared to the Olympic final.

In the final, Joshua faced the daunting task of solving the puzzle of Roberto Cammarelle, an Italian policeman, the defending Olympic champion (and 2004 bronze medalist) and two-time World Champion (2007 and 2009). At 32, Cammarelle entered London 2012 with a plethora of elite international experience, especially when compared to Joshua’s novice pedigree.

Joshua had won 31 of 34 career amateur bouts entering the London Olympics, and his only elite international experience had come during his unprecedented run to World Championship silver in Baku where he lost a heart-wrenching 12-13 decision to Azerbaijan’s Magomedrasul Majidov.

Some, including The Sun’s Colin Hart, have argued that Joshua was the fortunate recipient of some home-cooking in London, especially in his first bout with Savon. Hart blatantly argues, “There is little doubt he [Joshua] was the beneficiary of a blatant hometown decision in his first bout. He was clearly outpointed by Cuban Erislandy Savon, who was much faster and more skillful.”

Of course, in defeating Cammarelle on a tiebreaker when level scores of 18-18 solved nothing after three rounds of boxing, it is inevitable that some will suggest had the bout taken place in, say, Milan—Cammarelle’s hometown—the outcome would have been different.

At this point, such claims are mere conjecture and speculation. The fact remains that Joshua is the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion, and his performance endeared him to the British public and made the salivating prospect of his professional debut the most anticipated boxing transition since, dare I say, Audley Harrison after “A-Force” won gold in Sydney.

As for Joshua and professional boxing, fans might need to curb their expectations—at least in terms of when his debut will actually happen. In fact, should Joshua even turn professional immediately after his Olympic triumph?

If Joshua was an American, fans would question his sanity and priorities if he chose to remain an amateur after winning Olympic gold. This upwardly mobile thought process isn’t unfounded, and, in many ways, Joshua has already reached the pinnacle of amateur boxing. His stock as a professional prospect is currently at its hottest, and there is nothing he needs to do at this juncture to secure a top promotional outfit, instant exposure and a rabid fan-base.

Joshua, however, seems to have another ideas. According to ESPN.com’s UK outlet, after winning gold in London, Joshua indicated that he intends to remain an amateur and look to capture top honors at the 2013 World Championships in Kazakhstan. 

In the same ESPN UK article, top British promoter Frank Warren made it clear (via his column in The Sun) that he backed “Big Josh” to win gold, but that Joshua remaining an amateur is a mistake:

"However, suggestions that the 6'6'', 18 stone Watford banger's development would be best served by remaining in the unpaid code are flawed. 'Big Josh' has already defeated the best available amateur opposition and needs the fresh challenges that a pro career would offer, to prevent going stale. […] He has the power and stamina to become world heavyweight champion quicker than anyone previously."

Warren’s thinly veiled motivations are clear: he desperately wants to sign Joshua to his promotional stable (who wouldn’t?). Having established himself as a top-flight international promoter who always has his hands in the cookie jar of British boxing prospects, Warren famously secured the promotional rights of James DeGale, Frankie Gavin and Billie Joe Saunders, all blue chip members of Britain’s 2008 Olympic boxing team. 

While Warren has guided these Olympic boxers to success at the domestic and European level, none of his 2008 Olympians have fought for a professional world title or even been in serious consideration (at this point).

While DeGale does seem poised to challenge for a world title by 2013-2014, the fact that even “Chunky”—an experienced and decorated amateur—has not fought for a world title in four years since Beijing makes Warren’s claim that Joshua can become the fastest heavyweight champion pure hyperbole.

Other than acting as a ploy to sign Joshua, Warren has little to back up the claim that he can land Joshua a world title shot in under four years. The most intelligent move would obviously be to coincide Joshua’s ascent with the retirement of the Klitschko brothers, which should occur imminently for Vitali and within five years for Wladimir.

In the meantime, Joshua electing to remain an amateur for one final major tournament will not render him “stale.” On the contrary, added international experience might help Joshua in the long run. At 22, Joshua has time to develop, and the athletic and powerful Brit only started boxing at 18.

While Joshua should in no way make another Olympic run, an extra year as an amateur will not be detrimental to his professional stock. It might even go a long way towards ensuring that his professional career resembles Lennox Lewis’, as opposed to Audley Harrison’s.