What two gold medals would mean for USA Boxing
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Billy Walsh was hired last year by USA Boxing as its new coach, a move that got far more attention in Ireland than it did in the United States. Walsh fought for Ireland in the 1988 Olympics and then led it to seven medals as its coach.
He was largely unknown to American boxing fans when he got the job. It was big news exactly nowhere in the U.S.
As far as professional boxing had fallen in the United States, amateur boxing had become all but invisible.
For Walsh, it was a five-year play, at least, to get the program back to where it could regularly be competitive.
Outside of reigning gold medalist Claressa Shields, expectations couldn’t have been lower for the 2016 U.S. Olympic boxing team. It would have surprised no one had the other seven members of the team been eliminated in their first bouts.
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The U.S. has won two gold medals since 2000, by Andre Ward in 2004 and Shields in 2012. It could win two in these Games.
But now, the Americans stand on the precipice of an amazing finish. Bantamweight Shakur Stevenson will fight for the gold medal on Saturday. Shields will go for a repeat Sunday after defeating Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova on Friday via a one-sided decision.
Stevenson fights Cuban Robeisy Ramirez, the 2012 gold medalist, on Saturday. Shields will defend her gold medal against Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands.
Counting Stevenson’s win by walkover over Russian Vladimir Nikitin in the semifinals, American boxers are 14-6 in these Games with the chance to end 16-6.
They will bring home three medals, including possibly two golds.
Walsh knew when he took the job that a turnaround wasn’t going to happen quickly, but he is a competitive sort and wasn’t looking ahead when these Games kicked off.
“You know, everyone talks about 2020, and that makes sense, but I couldn’t just give up on this year and these kids,” Walsh said.
Winning two golds would be a major boost for the program. Americans are dominant in most other sports, and despite their recent drought, remain by far the most successful boxing program.
Walsh’s hope is that the success of the 2016 team will lead to more television for amateur boxing and that more amateur boxing on television will lead to better athletes joining the program.
“The kids look up to whoever they see on television,” Walsh said. “If they see a basketball player all the time, that’s what they want to do. If it’s a football player, the same thing.
“It’s critical for us to get amateur boxing on television again.”
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NBC hasn’t made a decision yet whether either – or both gold – medal bouts involving the Americans will be broadcast live. Both, though, will be streamed on NBC’s Olympics app.
If Shields repeats on Sunday, her story will get significant attention. She is from Flint, Michigan, where she overcame a horrible childhood. Her father was imprisoned for seven of the first nine years of her life. She was raped and molested and her family had little money or creature comforts.
She turned to boxing at 11 and rose above it all to become one of the most familiar figures in her sport. Hers is an incredible story of dedication, perseverance and commitment, and is one that should resonate with young girls, in particular, long after she’s gone.
It’s what she’s focused on in the build-up to these Games.
“The legacy is definitely important,” Shields said. “… Also that people that come from where I’ve come from or [who] come from an area that’s similar, don’t let your surroundings create who you are or what your parents did or didn’t do control who you are. Your life depends on your decisions and it depends on what you want to do.
“Growing up in Flint, there was so much darkness around me, but I still had a few good people around and that’s how I was able to see things and become the person I am. I just want to show people that when you make your own decisions for your life, sometimes it plays out the way you want it to. I just want to help people and I want to help them because what I grew up with and what I had to overcome was difficult but look where I am now.”
Stevenson is so good that former world champion Floyd Mayweather flew to Rio to recruit him for Mayweather Promotions.
Stevenson lived up to the billing in his two bouts prior to the final and is eager to create a long-term memory Saturday.
“I’m ready to put on a show and we’re about to turn this place out,” Stevenson said. “I think it’s about to be a great matchup. We’ve got the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, a great fighter, and you’ve got the up-and-coming, rising superstar from USA. We’re about to put on a show and I plan on coming out victorious.”
If they do, the win will carry additional significance because it should help Walsh more easily implement his program. He is a respected coach who understands the amateur game and what it takes to succeed on the international level.
With two gold medalists to pitch, Walsh would have a head start on his rebuilding project.
He still faces a daunting task, as there are numerous obstacles and minefields ahead of him, but a pair of gold medals would be a great way for him to plot his strategy for a complete renovation of the program.
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