Siler swats his way to flyweight win
ATHENS -- Ron Siler kept the American winning streak going last night, moving and jabbing his way to an easy 32-18 victory over Australia's Bradley Hore in the flyweight division to push the United States's record to 4-0 at Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall.
Providence's Jason Estrada will try to continue that streak tonight when he closes the super heavyweight preliminary round against Tonga's Ma'afu Hawke, one fight after two of his chief rivals for the gold medal, Cuba's Michael Nunez Lopez and Russian world champion Rustam Saidov, square off. The winner will fight the Estrada-Hawke winner in the second round, with Estrada expected to be waiting for either his old Cuban rival or a world champion he never has faced.
Estrada will be asked both nights to follow a strategy Siler could not last night, although in the end it didn't matter to the 24-year-old 112-pounder from Cincinnati.
The US coaching staff is emphasizing jumping out to quick leads in the first two rounds and then trying to box to victory, but Siler led only 5-4 after Round 1 and 15-10 after two rounds before widening the margin through the third round and early in the fourth. At that point, a desperate Hore began to lunge in, hoping to score with often wild punches only to receive a face full of leather.
"I feel I'll be sharper in my next fight," said Siler, whose mother was in the crowd watching him for only the second time since he began boxing. For years they had only occasional contact, but in recent weeks they have begun to try and build a relationship wrapped around his drive to win an Olympic medal.
"The last time my mom was here I lost so I had to win for her today," Siler said. "I had to show my skills."
They are skills Siler believes every member of the US team possesses. Skills that may yet shock the many people who criticized their team and mocked its chances to medal this year.
"My expectations are gold," Siler said. "I believe we have the speed, the talent, and the skills. It's all mental now."
