BOXING Andre Dirrell keeping American hopes alive

XATHENS, Greece -- Ron Siler had just taken a beating, and now it seemed like the whole U.S. boxing team was down for the count. Fighters weren't following directions, medal hopes were slipping away and some of the performances had been downright embarrassing.
Then Andre Dirrell put on a show to remind everyone that not all was lost just yet.
With a dazzling display of speed and power, the American middleweight dominated his Algerian opponent before the fight was stopped after two rounds Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympic boxing competition.
More importantly, perhaps, Dirrell also gave hope to the remaining fighters on the young U.S. team that they have the ability to bring home medals from Athens.
"He knew there was a sense of urgency," U.S. coach Basheer Abdullah said. "He knew we needed this bout, and he came out and performed."
Fighting just three bouts behind Siler, Dirrell entered the ring knowing his 112-pound teammate had been beaten, and that the U.S. team now had only four of its original nine boxers remaining.
He put that out of his mind and concentrated on the task at hand in giving Nabil Kassel a beating for two rounds before the fight was stopped on the mercy rule after one last flurry at the bell with Dirrell ahead 27-7.
"I stepped in there with enthusiasm and did my job," Dirrell said. "There was nothing he could do."
Dirrell's win was a rare bright moment for a troubled U.S. team, which had lost four of five fights before the middleweight stopped the bleeding. The losing streak had Abdullah and his coaches muttering about both the inadequacy of the American amateur training system and the inability of fighters to follow game plans.
In Siler's case, for example, the plan was to use the jab to score points and work behind it with combinations. But Siler, from Cincinnati, barely threw a jab the entire fight and dropped a lopsided 45-22 decision to Tulashboy Doniyorov of Uzbekistan.
Associated Press
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