Three Americans Battle For Final Beijing Boxing Slots

Posted April 30, 2008 at 01:00 PM by Michael J. Sedor

Section: Beijing 2008, Beijing Results, Events, Boxing, Featured Writers, Michael Sedor

Boxing’s second (and final) Americas Qualifier got started on Friday in Guatemala City, Guatemala with three American pugilists aiming to join their eight already-qualified teammates in Beijing.  In their first bout of the tourney middleweight Shawn Estrada picked up a decisive victory while light heavyweight Christopher Downs slumped to defeat and will not be going to the Olympics.

Estrada’s match against Trinidad’s Andrew Fermin began slow; the first round ended with Fermin leading 1-0. Estrada roared back in the second scoring four points to Fermin’s none. After the third he had stretched his lead to 8-2 before closing the match out with an 11-3 advantage. Estrada’s next bout is on Sunday against Colombian Alexander Brand.

Christopher Downs was not so fortunate. The 6’4” 33-year-old U.S. Army veteran never got it going against Ecuadorian Julio Cesar Castillo Torres. He dropped three points early on and rallied to close his deficit to 3-2 before the fourth and final round. But Torres did not relent, pulling out a 5-3 win. The loss ends Downs’ Olympic dream which just one month ago at the first Americas Qualifier seemed so promising.

Downs had stormed through that competition scoring a knockout in his first bout and dominating a vaunted Cuban boxer 15-6 in his second match, becoming the first boxer at that tourney to defeat a Cuban. Downs’ quest to become the oldest United States Olympic boxer seemed like a sure thing. Then he unexpectedly lost big in the semi-final to Venezuelan Luis Gonzalez. Downs still had a chance. The top three place winners in that weight class would make it to Beijing. But in the third-place box off he was defeated by Brazilian Washington Silva thus forcing him to travel to Guatemala City.

We feel horrible for any athlete who misses out on their Olympic dream by such a razor thin margin and we wish Christopher Downs the best.

The third American fighting in Guatemala City is super heavyweight Michael Hunter II who gets is tourney started against a Canadian foe.