Escobedo fourth U.S. fighter ousted from event

The California lightweight couldn't counter with his Azerbaijan opponent.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Vicente Escobedo's family and friends whooped and hollered and waved American flags when he stepped into the ring. By the third round of a fight that had turned into a boxing lesson, they were silent.
No matter how hard Escobedo tried, his opponent Robshan Huseynov from Azerbaijan just kept piling up the points. And when it was over, Escobedo's Olympic hopes were, too.
"He fought a smart fight -- the best man won tonight," Escobedo said. "I was trying too hard, I believe."
Only five fighters left
The California lightweight became the fourth U.S. boxer eliminated from the Olympics, leaving just five fighters still alive. Worse yet, Americans have lost three of their last four fights and don't seem to have a clue on how to cope with their more experienced opponents.
That showed a day earlier when light welterweight Rock Allen was never in his fight against a Bulgarian, and again on Friday when Escobedo's pro-style tactics couldn't solve a counterpunching style that seems so much better suited for amateur boxing.
"It's difficult to fight European styles because we're not familiar with them," Escobedo said. "You see these awkward styles and it's hard to adjust in just four rounds."
If the U.S. team doesn't want to be shut out in these games, the remaining fighters better figure out how to adjust -- and soon.
The American fighters aren't just being outboxed. They've also been hurt by their inexperience and the tendency of the judges to favor the styles of certain countries.
"Our guys are fighting guys who have more international experience and are like pros," said Raul Marquez, a member of the 1992 Olympic team who is working for NBC. "The judges also like the Cubans and the eastern European counties. They have their guys picked."
Two fight today
Two more Americans fight today, with flyweight Ron Siler taking on Tulashboy Doniyorov of Uzbekistan and middleweight Andrew Dirrell facing Nabil Kassel of Algeria.
Cuban fighters, meanwhile, continued to roll, winning three more fights Friday to improve to 14-1.
And 17-year-old British lightweight Amir Khan, the only member of his country's boxing team, was impressive for a second time with a 37-21 win over Dimitar Stilianov of Bulgaria.
Khan did what Escobedo couldn't, getting inside and landing big right hands against the Bulgarian to advance to a quarterfinal match.
"I was boxing someone 10 years older who was the European champion but I wasn't as nervous as my first contest," Khan said. "I'm just taking things step by step. My real aim was the next Olympic Games, so being here is a bonus for me."
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