Four ways to improve the U.S. Olympic boxing team: Fan’s take

It's no secret that Team USA has struggled on the world stage in recent years. With only one bronze medal in 2008 (via Deontay Wilder) and two medals in 2004 (Andre Ward, Gold; Andre Dirrell, Bronze), the once proud and mighty US Olympic Boxing Team has become just an afterthought on the Olympic boxing scene. Here are four ways Team USA can turn things around and become truly relevant again: Forget the amateur system and fight like a pro The current amateur point system is not comparable to the way a pro is supposed to fight. With an emphasis on quick, scoring flurries over a more balanced attack, the amateur fighters of today have become more adept at arm punches than actual punishing blows. Because inside work is harder to score by the judges at ringside, today's amateur stars have gone with the flow and, as a consequence, struggled at times when moving up to the professional ranks. Ideally, the new members of Team USA should focus on winning their fights by stoppage with a real, professional style and leave the tap-tap-tap behind, even if it costs them some wins at the Olympic level. Bring in professional trainers and veteran Recently, it was announced that trainer, Freddie Roach, along with a group of other volunteers, would be working with Team USA in an effort to improve the overall performance of the group in 2012's Olympic games. The addition of quality trainers and veteran professionals can only bring positive things to a seemingly directionless program. Amp up the sparring As it is now, the best and brightest of Team USA are limited to sparring with one another and with those who have already been eliminated from the team. As any quality pro will affirm, a fighter is often only as good as his level of sparring. Good, competitive sparring produces battle-hardened fighters. The young men of Team USA would benefit greatly from sparring sessions with professional-level fighters. Push for wider exposure While training and sparring helps a fighter reach his full potential inside the ring, the psychological aspect of the game pushes him to great things above and beyond what he normally could achieve. Part of this psychological edge would involve bringing as much attention to their battles as possible. In the last Olympic games, boxing was relegated to late night programming and off-TV afterthought. A push to get some prime time exposure for the fighters in 2012 would go a long way in charging up the young fighters. It would also work to their benefit if Team USA could get some mainstream exposure so that they know they are fighting for something beyond their own personal interests. - Thoughts? http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=ArpJnWsQ39w2GdNR70s0A_yUxLYF?slug=ycn-8931447