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Thurman nearing Beijing's door
By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
Published August 22, 2007
Tuesday afternoon in Houston, Keith Thurman may have arrived at Bejing's door.
Clearing his path to the 2008 Olympic Games by stopping Army champion Boyd Melson in the second round at the boxing trials, Thurman will now meet favorite Demetrius Andrade in the 152-pound winner's bracket final today.
The winner fights Saturday for a spot on the U.S. Boxing Olympic team against whoever emerges from the loser's bracket.
While Andrade was stopped by No.1 ranked Charles Hatley in the second round, the 18-year-old from Clearwater was doing the same to Melson, whose corner threw in the towel after a series of vicious body punches threatened to drop their fighter.
Since losers that are knocked out -- like Thurman's first-round opponent -- get a 30-day medical suspension and can't advance to the loser's bracket, it was self-preservation that caused Melson's corner to give up the fight before the ref decided to.
"He was really hurt," said trainer Ben Getty. "It was more of the same from Keith today. This time, though, it was the body shots."
Thurman will meet Andrade in the noon session. Getty joked that the fight will be pay-per-view.
"Everybody knows this is the fight; this is one that everyone wanted to see," Getty said. "It's so hard to come out of the loser's bracket. I think this might be for the whole thing."
John C. Cotey can be reached at 813-909-4612 or johncotey@gmail.com.
[Last modified August 21, 2007, 16:29:15]
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