Boxing: August 2008 Archives

U.S. middleweight Shawn Estrada of East Los Angeles had a week between his first round boxing match and his second. He lost to Great Britain's James Degale in an 11-5 decision.
"I wasn't even supposed to be here. I'm happy that I'm a Mexican-American representing my country at this weight and there's never been a Mexican-American of this size, this is the first time ever," Estrada said. "I'm making history and everybody sees that I'm a great fighter. I'm a good boxer and I made a mark, I showed the world. I'm pretty sure that everyone will be looking out for me."
Estrada said he kept in condition, trained and relaxed in his week off between fights, but it was difficult to maintain his focus during the layoff.
"I did the same thing that we have been doing since we got here," Estrada said. "It's hard. You want to fight the next day or a day or two. I had seven days off but I don't have any excuses. We fought in there, we were both warriors. This is the not the end of the road for Shawn Estrada."
After a first round in which neither fighter scored a point, Degale took a 3-1 advantage in the second. Degale extended his lead to 6-3 in the third.
"I was trying to counterpunch him and stay relaxed from the outside then I fell behind," Estrada said. "It's hard to play catch up."
Degale took control of the match in the fourth round, winning 5-2 and moving on to the third round.
"The Olympics are over, it's been a long 11 months away from home," Estrada said. "We've sacrificed and I went through two or three qualifiers, it's been a lot. I'm happy with my performance, I can leave here and say that I performed at the Olympics and I'm an Olympian."

United States middleweight Shawn Estrada of East Los Angeles will face James Degale of Great Britain in a second round match. It will be the first time Estrada has faced Degale.