Two American boxers advance to semifinal round

Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward will carry the U.S. hopes for a medal.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Andre Dirrell got his ambition from his grandfather and his precision from a lifetime of good coaching.
That combination -- and a few outstanding combinations in his victory over Cuba's Yordani Despaigne -- sent the U.S. middleweight into the medal round Wednesday night.
Dirrell beat Despaigne 12-11 in a tense match at Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall, guaranteeing the U.S. two medals in a sport they once dominated. The first seven Americans failed even to reach Friday's semifinals -- but Dirrell and Andre Ward, the last two quarterfinalists, scored impressive upset victories on the last two days of the round.
Worst overall performance
The wins guaranteed that the Americans' worst boxing performance in 56 years won't get much worse. The U.S. still might end up without a gold medal for the second straight time -- but after Ward and Dirrell dominated fighters from boxing's current superpower nations, the 20-year-olds seem capable of winning a few more.
Both wins brought looks of relief to the faces of a beleaguered U.S. coaching staff, which had watched some other members of the team give less than stellar performances when it mattered most.
"I feel like a new person," coach Basheer Abdullah said. "I thank these two young athletes for giving me this feeling."
Semifinals on Friday
Dirrell, a Flint, Mich., native whose grandfather began teaching him to box at the age of 10 and then refused to let him quit the sport two years later, advanced to a semifinal match Friday against Gennadiy Golovkin of Kazakhstan.
More importantly, he put a smile on the face of his grandfather, who was watching in the stands. Leon Lawson, a former bodyguard and sparring partner for Muhammad Ali, turned 64 this week and celebrated his birthday in Athens.
"I'm aiming to please my grandfather," Dirrell said. "Besides the money, the gold medal and everything, I want to make him happy. This is what he said was his birthday present."
Tattoo of grandfather
Dirrell had a tattoo of his grandfather's face put on his right shoulder last month to thank him for years of making him train for his Olympic moment.
"I figured he was on my back this long that I would put a real one on my back," Dirrell said with a smile.
Dirrell and Abdullah formulated their strategy for Despaigne by watching both of the fighters' previous meetings, including Dirrell's victory in an Athens test match earlier in the summer. Abdullah figured the Cubans would counter Dirrell's aggressiveness with counterpunches, just as Dirrell did in his earlier fights at the Olympics.
"It was a chess match out there," Abdullah said. "The Cubans are very smart. They always adjust to the situation. Andre was aggressive in both of those [previous bouts], so they were trying to box him and score on counter."
Fight started slowly
But in the first two rounds, neither fighter was willing to throw the first risky punch. They stalked each other in circles, trading a few punches -- until Dirrell took his first lead with a sparkling third-round combination that scored three points.
In the fourth, Dirrell nursed his lead with just enough scoring punches. Neither fighter scored in the closing seconds, with Dirrell dancing away from every potential trouble spot.
"I had my uncles and brothers up in the stands and they're yelling 'Move, move!' " Dirrell said. "I think I heard them with 25 seconds left, and I said, 'I can run for 25 seconds. I can't run for two minutes, but I can run for 25 seconds.' "
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