The U.S. has qualified its first male boxer for the Rio Olympics.

The US team definitely isn't like it used to be & some countries have become powerhouses during the US's fall, but there is some element of luck at the Olympics. If you can get a good bracket draw it can ease your road to a medal. If being a amateur boxer wasn't a viable career path in some countries & everyone was turning pro in their early 20's I think things would be a lot more even. Why is the US team not what it was? Is it a case of other countries raising their game, or a decline in participation levels in boxing in the US itself?

Usa usa usa usa usa!!!!!!!

Bad news for Balderas. Only reason he qualified is because the top two boxers in his weight at WSB were so good that they were the top two at the World Championships. He already fought one of them and was toyed with.

apparently there's other brothers also named gary. 6 garys total. jesus hahaha. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gary-russell-sr--has-talent-for-naming-his-sons--gary--and-training-his-boxing-offspring-203502255.html lol, what a d I'm imagining them as kids, their angry mother shouting GARYYY GET YO ASS HERE and all 6 kids running to her at the same time with a confused look on their faces

The cubans and ucranians will get all the medals anyway is Gary Rusells jr brother's name also Gary? their parents were pretty big douches in that case That's what I thought :lol1:

Hopefully Cam F Awesome wins a medal

The cubans and ucranians will get all the medals anyway is Gary Rusells jr brother's name also Gary? their parents were pretty big douches in that case apparently there's other brothers also named gary. 6 garys total. jesus hahaha. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gary-russell-sr--has-talent-for-naming-his-sons--gary--and-training-his-boxing-offspring-203502255.html

We ****ing suck.

The cubans and ucranians will get all the medals anyway The United States has actually managed to already qualify one boxer. 60 kg fighter Carlos Balderas qualified through the World Series of Boxing. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Boxing/Features/2015/November/09/Lightweight-Carlos-Balderas-Receives-the-first-spot-on-the-2016-Olympic-Team The Olympic Trials are next month, I believe. Notable names I see are Cam Awesome, who gave a hilarious interview at the Pan Am Games, and Gary Russell, brother of Gary Russell Jr. The process is a little confusing, but I think the winners of the Olympic Trials earn the right to go to an international qualifier. Only by doing well enough there can they actually earn an Olympic spot. So in theory, the U.S. might not have much of a team at Rio at all. is Gary Rusells jr brother's name also Gary? their parents were pretty big douches in that case

The United States has actually managed to already qualify one boxer. 60 kg fighter Carlos Balderas qualified through the World Series of Boxing. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Boxing/Features/2015/November/09/Lightweight-Carlos-Balderas-Receives-the-first-spot-on-the-2016-Olympic-Team The Olympic Trials are next month, I believe. Notable names I see are Cam Awesome, who gave a hilarious interview at the Pan Am Games, and Gary Russell, brother of Gary Russell Jr. The process is a little confusing, but I think the winners of the Olympic Trials earn the right to go to an international qualifier. Only by doing well enough there can they actually earn an Olympic spot. So in theory, the U.S. might not have much of a team at Rio at all. gary russell jr has a brother named gary russell? excellent.

The US team is mainly cannon fodder these days anyway. They need to step aside and let the big dogs go at it.