Olympic Boxing Guide and Schedule: The Draw And The Men?s Round Of 32

With the draw completed on Friday, the stage is set for Olympic boxing to begin in London. In our first preview and guide we?ll take a look at the first round of the men?s competition, beginning on Saturday afternoon, London time. It all starts out with a bantamweight match-up between Team USA?s Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Ukraine?s Pavlo Ishchenko. After that there are a dizzying number of matches, so we?ll just give you the highlights and other notes.


(Team USA bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr., left, in action)

There haven?t been too many complaints about the draw compared to previous Olympics, though it?s always hard in smaller divisions like heavy, super heavy and the three women?s brackets. Some top fighters, like Brazilian junior welterweight Everton Dos Santos Lopes, will have very tough fights in the round of 16, but that?s just the way it is I guess. If only the top seeds fought then we?d be watching ?the round of four? this weekend, and that wouldn?t be any fun.

It?s called the round of 32, but there aren?t actually 32 boxers in each division. Because of that, the top seeds have byes in the first round. There are two sessions of boxing each day, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening. Each session features two weight classes. Check your local providers for TV times. In the USA, CNBC will air both sessions of boxing live every day, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern and 3:30-6:30 p.m. Now let?s get to it.

Source: http://queensberry-rules.com/2012-articles/july/olympic-boxing-guide-and-schedule-the-draw-and-the-mens-round-of-32.html

Chuck Liddell Roy Jones Jr Junior Jones Gerrie Coetzee