Why Doesn't US Use Pros in Olympic Boxing? (First of Two Parts)
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 20 Aug 2024
Omari Jones is the lone medal winner in boxing for the USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wikifact: The United States swept the podium at the 1904 Games in St Louis as it was the only NOC to compete in (boxing). The US have continued to achieve success in Olympics boxing ever since, garnering a total of 117 medals including 50 golds with distant competition from Cuba (78 medals) and Great Britain (62 medals).
With such rich tradition and medal haul, it is indeed very hard to imagine that boxing as an Olympic event will be absent when the US host the Games again in 2028 in Los Angeles, California, the third time the city is hosting the Summer Olympics.
To old timers like this writer, when you talk of Olympics, memories of Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman immediately flash in the mind as an indelible memorial to American supremacy in boxing.
FROM MASTERS TO PAUPERS
In 1984, in the same city, Los Angeles, the US garnered its biggest medal haul of 11, nine of which were gold. However, that Olympics were boycotted by the USSR led communist bloc countries including Cuba in retaliation of a US led boycott of the 1980 Games due to Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. That Olympics spawned Evander Holyfield, who, despite just a bronze medal finish (on account of a highly controversial disqualification loss in the semis) went on to become the first undisputed world champion in the cruiserweight and heavyweight in the late 80s through the 90s.
Without doubt, the finest American performance came in the 1976 Montreal Olympics which produced five golds through future pro stars and superstars as then youthful Ray Leonard, Michael and Leon Spinks, Howard Davis and Leo Randolph. Only Howard failed to win a world pro boxing title from this batch who mostly outclassed feared and more seasoned Cuban fighters in the finals.
The 1988 Seoul Olympics produced five medalists, three gold medal winners and two silver medalists namely Roy Jones, Jr. and Riddick Bowe who both would become hugely successful pro boxers much more than their gold medalists teammates.
After that, with Cuba and communist bloc countries flexing their muscles, medals in boxing especially gold would be hard to come by for the US which won just a gold in Barcelona 1992 through Oscar de la Hoya, plus a silver and a bronze for just a total of three. Oscar of course would be the face of pro boxing for much of the rest of the 90s through the mid 2000s
Another solitary gold in the 1996 Atlanta was won courtesy of David Reid although the US won another five bronze medals including that of Floyd Mayweather Jr whose semifinals loss to Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov was largely seen as highly controversial. (Another controversial loss in boxing in that Games was that of Onyok Velasco in the finals versus yet another Bulgarian Daniel Petrov.). Floyd needed no introduction to pro boxing fans, considered as disputedly, the best ever (TBE).
The tap would almost close shut as far as winning gold for the US in the next six Olympics. Starting with 2000 Sydney which yielded just two silvers and two bronzes; 2004 Athens another lone gold through Andre Ward but trickling to just a bronze in the 2008 Beijing won in the heavyweight by Deontay Wilder who with Ward would also be most successful as pros.
The tap would totally shut close for the US in men's boxing with Claressa Shields and Marlen Esparza saving the campaign for the American team with a gold and silver in the women's division in the 2012 London Games.
Uzbekistan emerged as new boxing power edging Cuba in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. Again Claressa Shields saved the US campaign with a gold in the women's middleweight division. Shakur Stevenson settled for silver after a close loss to Cuban Robeisy Ramirez. Nico Hernandez salvaged a bronze at light flyweight. Ramirez could only look with envy at Shakur now in the pros! Claressa of course would establish her mark as among the finest women pro boxers.
Cuba regained overall championship over Uzbekistan in the Tokyo Olympics but mainly at the expense of US fighters including Keyshawn Davis who settled for a silver after a close loss to Cuban Andy Cruz in the lightweight finals, and three bronzes. Davis is now a pro fighter on the verge of fighting for and winning a world title while Cruz is just an envious newbie!
The US registered another worst finish in the just concluded Paris 2024 Games with just a lone bronze through Omari Jones in men's welterweight as Uzbekistan dominated the men's and China the women's divisions in boxing.
The once mighty Americans are reduced from masters to paupers in Olympic boxing in the last twenty four years
The main reason given by American boxing authorities is that "boys are usually pitted against men" in the Olympics. Which is true, seeing how young and relatively raw and inexperienced American amateur boxers are usually against veterans from Cuba and former Soviet bloc boxing nations.
With the US again hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles and boxing not totally ruled out as an Olympic event, perhaps the USA could make a grand comeback.
But why is the US not fielding its top pros in the Olympics since the IOC has allowed professionals to participate years back?
Part Two: Why?
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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