ESTRADA MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO THE RING, ADVANCES TO THE QUARTERFINALS
ATHENS, GREECE – Super heavyweight (201+ lbs/91+ kg) Jason Estrada (Providence, R.I.) closed the show on a roller coaster day for the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team with a 30-11 defeat of Tonga’s Ma’afu Hawke.
Estrada took the ring for the final bout of the day knowing that he might have to work through some ring rust after having not competed since May. He got his feel back quickly and his quick hands earned the 23-year-old a 7-2 lead after the first round of action. He took full control of the bout in the second round as his inexperienced opponent attempted to evade Estrada’s quick punches. By the third round of action, Estrada was scoring almost at will and he moved on to win the 30-11 final decision and move on to the quarterfinal round.
“I thought he looked pretty good being that he hasn’t competed since May,” Head Coach Basheer Abdullah said. “He has recently overcome some injuries, and I thought he boxed well.”
“I wanted to be quick on my feet and quick with my hands, I tried to use it all tonight,” Estrada said. “All I really wanted to do was have fun and get the cobwebs out because I haven’t boxed since May. I have had injuries and I just wanted to get by tonight to get the feel of everything.”
The 2004 Olympic Boxing Team has truly made their competitions a family affair and Estrada enjoyed the support of his family, including his father and coach, Roland, who traveled with six of Estrada’s family members and friends to Athens. In addition, several of Estrada’s teammates as well as Rock Allen’s family took in the bout and cheered Estrada to victory.
Estrada comes into the Olympic Games after a small rash of injuries but he has managed to recover from his challenges and be successful in his first bout of the Olympic Games. Estrada knows the feeling of standing on top of the medal podium after becoming not only the first U.S. super heavyweight to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games but also the first non-Cuban.
Estrada’s win advances him to the quarterfinal round where he will face Cuba’s Michael Lopez Nunez who he defeated to win his Pan American Games title in August of 2003. A new trio of U.S. boxers will compete on Thursday with welterweight (152 lbs/69 kg) Vanes Martirosyan (Glendale, Calif.) taking on 2003 World Champion Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba and light heavyweight (178 lbs/81kg) Andre Ward (Oakland, Calif.) facing Clemente Russo of Italy in the afternoon session. Light welterweight (141 lbs/64 kg) Rock Allen (Philadelphia, Pa.) will make his Olympic debut in the evening session when he battles Boris Georgiev of Bulgaria.
