U.S. boxing team still rolling

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- In the waning seconds of the final fight of the preliminary round, U.S. super heavyweight Jason Estrada shuffled his feet, bobbed his head and playfully raised his left hand in the classic pose of exuberant boxers.
Estrada might have been making a vow: No matter how much the amateur fight game changes to favor unimaginative technique, the American team always will provide a little showtime.
Estrada and heavyweight Devin Vargas advanced to the quarterfinals Wednesday, capping an impressive 6-1 run through the preliminaries for a lightly regarded U.S. team.
The eight remaining Americans will fight in the next three days, starting today with light heavyweight Andre Ward and light welterweight Rock Allen, who advanced on byes.
Looking ahead
Welterweight Vanes Martirosyan also will fight as the competition picks up speed. Except for the heavyweights, all remaining fighters must win two more matches to reach the semifinals, where a medal is guaranteed. Estrada and Vargas need just one victory to reach the semis.
With nine Olympic rookies facing a field featuring Cuban and Russian veterans gunning for multiple gold medals, not much was expected from the Americans. Their amateur program has been eroded by easy pro money and the decidedly un-American judging standards that reward workmanlike precision over creativity.
But as Estrada demonstrated, the U.S. fighters are determined to have some fun in Athens.
"That's the American style of boxing," coach Basheer Abdullah said. "That's what we do. We entertain. Unfortunately, that's sometimes not the way it's perceived here in international amateur boxing."
The 262-pound Estrada did plenty of hard work before showing off in the fourth round. He punished Tonga's Ma'afu Hawke, landing big punches with both hands while building a 30-11 margin of victory.
Estrada moved on to fight Cuba's Michel Lopez Nunez, whom he beat for a gold medal in last year's Pan American Games, and he believes his quick hands will give him the edge again.
"Regardless of what happens, I'm going to have fun," said Estrada, from Providence, R.I. "All I really wanted to do was have fun and get the cobwebs out. ... For me, [boxing] is something to entertain people. I was the child that you'd always see acting the fool. That's why I do it, to entertain."
Lone loss
Light flyweight Rau'Shee Warren was the only American eliminated in the first round. Warren, a 17-year-old from Cincinnati, struggled against Chinese veteran Zou Shiming, losing 22-9 without being able to show off his considerable talent.
"I still don't really know what the scoring is," Warren said. "I felt calm, confident. It was a good experience for me to walk into the arena like this."
Wednesday's most intriguing heavyweight match was between Cuba's Odlanier Solis and Alexander Alekseev of Russia, who fought in the finals of the 2003 world championships. Solis repeated his three-point victory, winning 24-21 to knock Alekseev out of the Olympics and keep the powerful Cuban team undefeated through nine fights.