The biggest guy on the U.S. team turned in the biggest flop when it mattered most.
Super heavyweight Jason Estrada gave perhaps the most lackluster performance yet by a U.S. boxer, losing a chance for an Olympic medal by dropping a 21-7 decision to Cuba's Michel Lopez Nuñez.
Jason Estrada, right, didn't put up much of a fight vs. Michel Lopez Nuqez.
(Max Rossi -- Reuters)
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With a pro career already on his mind, Estrada simply shrugged off the loss.
"That's just the way boxing is," he said. "I'm not going to really worry about it."
If Estrada wasn't going to worry, his coach certainly was. After watching another U.S. fighter simply go through the motions, Basheer Abdullah had seen enough.
"It discouraged me. I'm disappointed that he had that type of attitude," Abdullah said. "Somehow we have to find a way to make athletes take pride in representing the United States."
U.S. coaches had high hopes for Estrada in the quarterfinal match, considering he had beaten Nuñez last year at the Pan Am Games and had superior hand speed to the Cuban.
But Estrada fought passively, admitting later that he never pursued Nuñez because he figured he would lose anyway and didn't want to take any more punishment.
"If I'm going to lose I'm going to lose getting hit as little as possible," Estrada said. "I'd rather not get hit at all. This is just one part of my life, I've got a lot more to go."
