The draw for the boxing at the Rio Olympics has been brutal to six of the twelve fighters in the GB team and kind to just one.There are no easy passages to medals at the Olympics, there are just one or two inexperienced fighters as fodder and every boxer expects a tough two weeks, but this draw is harsh even measured by the excepted margins.Anthony Fowler will have to overcome two medal hopes to get near a medal of his own and starts his campaign at middleweight against the 2013 World champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.He would then have to beat Russias Artem Chebotarev, a veteran of the APB circuit where men fight without vests and over eight and ten rounds. A win against either would be good, getting two wins without injury would be incredible.Alimkhanuly lost in last years World Championships to Irelands Michael OReilly, who was suspended on Thursday from the Rio competition for inconsistencies in a recent drug test. The boxer will appeal but will not be allowed to compete in Rio and it is too late to replace him.At light-flyweight, Birminghams Galal Yafai -- arguably the least experienced member of the team -- first meets a boxer from Cameroon and then has a return with Cuban world champion Joahnys Argilagos before there is even a sniff of a medal. In June, Yafai chased the elusive Argilagos over five rounds in the WSB finals and lost widely on points. The Cubans might not be the invincible force they were in the 1970s and 1980s but Argilagos could have stood side-by-side with Teofilo Stevenson during the Havana heydays.At bantamweight, Qais Ashfaq opens his campaign against the rugged and experienced Thai Chatchai Butdee. He would then meet Russias Vlad Nikitin, who qualified for this years Olympics last June in the WSB -- the team format over five rounds that is increasingly shaping the Olympic format of three rounds. If Qais wins both he meets nemesis and current world champion Michael Conlan before the medal stage. This is a hellish route to a bronze, silver or gold.At light-welterweight and welterweight the British pair of Pat McCormack and Josh Kelly have been plunged without a rope in a nasty hole. McCormack has a hard start against a Kazak and then meets the Cuban Yasniel Toledo Lopez, a winner of a bronze at the London Olympics and a medallist at the last three World Championships. Kelly meets an Egyptian first and then the ruthless Kazak Daniyar Yeleussinov long before the medal stages.Lawrence Okolie lost to Erislandy Savon -- another towering, brutal Cuban -- in one round in June of this year. Savon is waiting for Okolie again, if the east Londoner can beat Polish heavyweight Igor Jakubowski in his opening fight. Savon lost a wafer-thin and disputed decision in the opening round at the London Olympics to Anthony Joshua.There will be one easy, easy fight for a British boxer when super-heavyweight Joe Joyce meets Davilson Morais from the Cape Verde Islands in what will be a horrible mismatch. Joyce is one of Britains best hopes for a medal and the obscure Morais is only in Rio because the man that beat him failed a drug test and a space opened up. Joyces start is the exception in the modern Olympics.The other five, including Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall, will all have to overcome good boxers before they get to the medal stage, but Fowler, Ashfaq, Yafai, Kelly, McCormack and Okolie will be having their gold-medal fights from the very start and that is difficult. A medal of any colour for any of the six would be quite astounding.Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Cheap Hockey Jerseys China . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/ . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Cheap Hockey Jerseys Authentic . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Authentic Hockey Jerseys . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front.BOSTON -- Two teams extremely happy to see the calendar flip to July get together for three games at Fenway Park beginning Friday.One of the teams -- the host Boston Red Sox -- still has a chance to fix things and stay in the pennant race.The Los Angeles Angels, 8-19 in June, have lost nine of their last 10 and sit in last place in the American League West with a 32-47 record. That sounds, even this early, like a lost season.Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox -- 10-16 in June -- are still in position to contend and open a nine-game homestand that leads up to the All-Star break.Both teams have held team meetings in recent days, the Angels after being swept by the Houston Astros for the second straight week and the Red Sox after the Tampa Bay Rays ended an 11-game losing streak with a win over Boston on Monday.The Red Sox won Tuesday before losing Wednesday to end a 2-4 trip.I like this team, I like our guys, I like the way we come in here every day and the effort that we continue to put forth, Red Sox manager John Farrell said after his team was shut out for the third time this season Wednesday. Weve got some adjustments and some work to do in certain areas. But this is a group that doesnt roll over and Im firmly confident in them.The meeting came after Eduardo Rodriguez was shelled in the series opener as second baseman Dustin Pedroia shouting at the pitcher on the mound. Rodriguez was sent to the minor leagues after the game, and the Red Sox still havent named a Sunday starter against the Angels.Rick Porcello and the offense stopped the bleeding and ended a three-game losing streak -- the Red Sox still havent lost four in a row this season, but Matt Moore and two relievers stifled the Boston attack and David Price had another disappointing outing Wednesday.ddddddddddddHanley Ramirez left that game with a right side injury after taking a hard swing but after the game said hed be fine.Just my side got really tight, Ramirez said. I talked to John and were just trying to prevent something big. He told me that, Were not going to put your season on the line. Take care of that and be ready to go Friday.The Red Sox, who have already used six different players in left field, hope to get Brock Holt (concussion) back soon.They wont be getting any sympathy from the Angels, who have already used 43 players this season.The Angels gave up 37 runs in six losses to the Astros.I dont think these guys are taking losing in stride, and thats a positive, but it has to be tempered with filtering out some of the frustration that could easily creep into a clubhouse or a dugout, manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday. Those guys seem like theyre playing free and giving it everything they have, but the results arent there.Bostons Steven Wright, coming off his first poor performance of the season, opens the series against right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, who beat the Red Sox while with the Atlanta Braves earlier this season but is only 3-6 overall. He was 1/3 with an 8.59 ERA in five June starts with 17 walks and seven strikeouts.Wright lasted 4 2/3 innings, yielding seven hits and eight runs (three unearned) in a loss at Texas last time out. He also surrendered only his second June home run in that game. ' ' '
