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We'll be back this afternoon with more from London, starting at 3:30 p.m. EDT. For now, here's a recap of the first six middleweight bouts, including a win for Great Britain's Anthony Ogogo to get the home country started off right.
[ Results: Bantamweight Wins For USA, Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Kazakhstan ]
Middleweight (165 lbs/75 kg)
Anthony Ogogo (Great Britain) def. Junior Castillo (Dominican Republic), 13-6: I thought Castillo got hosed in second round, losing it 5-1. Fight was closer than scored but not an outright robbery. It was also a good fight, and I thought Ogogo looked solid but perhaps not special. Ogogo moves on to face Ievgen Khytrov (Ukraine) next round, which is going to be a tough ask of him.
Darren O'Neill (Ireland) def. Muideen Akanji (Nigeria), 15-6: Akanji was sorely outclassed, and pretty much a technical mess. Not a good fight, to be totally honest, but O'Neill advances. He'll need something better going forward, I believe.
Stefan Hartel (Germany) def. Enrique Collazo (Puerto Rico), 18-10: I was very impressed with Hartel here. Smart, relaxed, composed, efficient, good timing. He was just a better fighter, and Collazo did show some talent in there. Collazo had an edge in speed and was a bit flashier, but Hartel neutralized all that, and cemented it with a 7-2 win in the third round.
Mujandjae Kasuto (Namibia) def. Sobirdzhon Nazarov (Tajikistan), 11-8: Ugly style clash, I thought, as Nazarov employed some kind of Proksa/Sergio approach and Kasuto wasn't exactly impressive, but he took the win and moves on to the round of 16. I did agree with the winner. Others thought the fight was good. Diff'rent strokes to rule the world.
Zoltan Harcsa (Hungary) def. Jose Espinoza (Venezuela), 16-13: Good fight, and a particularly good final round. Nice style clash in this one, with Espinoza using his agility and Harcsa coming through with the stronger punches. Definitely my pick for best fight of the first six middleweight bouts. Was 8-8 after two, with Harcsa scoring an 8-5 third round for the duke.
Soltan Miginitov (Azerbaijan) def. Mohamed Hikal (Egypt), 20-12: This was the fourth and final Olympics for Hikal, and he didn't have much success. Miginitov was better, stronger, and won handily. I have respect for anyone who goes to the Olympics four times and gives it a go, but Hikal was outgunned.
We'll be back this afternoon with more boxing from London, then tonight for Guerrero vs Aydin.