Bronze-or-better matches await both Ward, Dirrell

They bailed out a U.S. team in danger of being shut out of Olympic boxing medals for the first time ever.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell already knew they were going home with Olympic medals. It wasn't going to be long before they found out the color of their prizes.
The only two American fighters left in the boxing competition, Ward and Dirrell faced must-win bouts today if they wanted to leave Athens with more than the bronze medals they were already guaranteed.
After winning the biggest fights of their young careers just to get to this point, both took some added confidence into their semifinal matches.
The odds
"I think my chances for a gold are excellent," Dirrell said.
U.S. coach Basheer Abdullah liked the way both his boxers are looking.
"If we take home a gold and a silver or something like that I would be happy," Abdullah said.
Ward and Dirrell already accomplished something their other seven teammates couldn't by making the semifinals, where even the losers get bronze medals. In doing so, they bailed out a U.S. team in danger of being shut out of Olympic boxing medals for the first time ever.
Ward turned things around with an upset win over two-time light heavyweight world champion Evgeny Makarenko of Russia and Dirrell followed a day later, beating Cuba's Yordani Despaigne by one point to bring a smile to the face of Abdullah.
"I feel like a new person," Abdullah said. "I thank these two young athletes for giving me this feeling."
Americans used to dominate Olympic boxing, but the balance of power has shifted to Cuba, Russia and former Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Cuba had eight boxers in the semifinals, while the Russians have six and the former Soviet republics another nine.
A sensation
Britain, meanwhile, had the one fighter it brought to Athens in the semifinals, and 17-year-old Amir Khan has been the sensation of the competition so far. The lightweight stopped one fighter on the mercy rule, then battered a Korean into submission in the first round in his last fight.
"It's very difficult for me to say how good he is because he's only 17 and he's awesome," British coach Terry Edwards said. "I can't imagine what he going to be like at 19."
The U.S. team was shut out of gold medals four years ago in Sydney, the first time that had happened in 52 years. The losses continued to mount in Athens until the two Andres came through.