LONDON (Army News Service, July 31, 2012) -- A brawler from Kazakhstan quickly ended the Olympic boxing tournament for U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jamel Herring.
Herring lost a 19-9 decision to Kazakhstan's Daniyar Yeleussinov in light-welterweight competition at ExCeL Arena on Tuesday.
"We got caught up in a slugfest," said Team USA assistant boxing coach Staff Sgt. Charles Leverette of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. "We got away from the game plan."
The plan was for Herring to stay away from his opponent's strong left hand, to hit and dodge. It worked somewhat in the first round as the two southpaws exchanged shots and Herring kept his footwork moving.
Yeleussinov held an 8-5 lead in computerized scoring after one round. Midway through the second of three rounds, Herring got caught with a combination of punches.
"It kind of rattled his cage a little bit," Leverette said, "enough to where he thought 'I got to go for it all.'"
Yeleussinov connected with a left-right-left combination that staggered Herring, who appeared dazed for a second before throwing a roundhouse punch that drew nothing but air.
"You get caught with a good shot and you think you've got to go and get it all back," Leverette said. "We've got to work on having a little more patience."
After two rounds, Yerleussinov led, 15-8.
Herring worked inside for much of the remainder of the bout as the boxers often clinched and leaned against the ropes. Despite cheers of "USA! USA!" from hundreds of spectators, Yeleussinov cruised to victory, eliminating Herring from the tournament.
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