Yanez, coach shake off disagreement in first-round win
BEIJING • The final horn sounded, and Luis Yanez happily trotted to his corner, where Dan Campbell patted him on the back for a job well done.
The once-defiant Olympic Training Center boxer and the steadfast U.S. coach are in agreement, just in time to tackle a tough international field.
Yanez beat Spaniard Jose Kelvin de la Nieve 12-9 in a 106-pound light-flyweight opener Wednesday at the Beijing Games, a month after writing a public apology that resulted in his reinstatement to the U.S. boxing team.
By all indications, Yanez and Campbell have put tumultuous times – USA Boxing suspended Yanez in July for skipping several weeks of an OTC camp to return to his Dallas-areahome, and he later had words with Campbell – on the back burner.
Neither has much of a choice.
A 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist and two-time defending national champion, Yanez, 19, can’t receive in-ring instruction from his personal coach, Dennis Rodarte, during the Olympics.
And Campbell is down to five boxers after first-round losses by Rau’shee Warren, Sadam Ali and Javier Molina. Still alive with Yanez are Raynell Williams, Demetrius Andrade, Shawn Estrada and Deontay Wilder, a 10-4 winner Wednesday over Algerian Abdelaziz Touilbini.
“I went in there, and I had fun,” said Yanez, who will face Mongolian Serdamba Purevdorj on Saturday.
Despite missing pre-Olympic training time, Yanez fought sharply, using straight lefts, right hooks and quick lateral movement to frustrate Nieve, a ninth-place finisher at the 2007 world championships, four spots behind Yanez.
After an even first round, Yanez took a 5-4 lead on a sweeping right with 20 seconds remaining in the second and stretched it to 10-6 behind third-period combinations, then danced his way through the fourth.
Asked about landing first punches, Yanez said, “That always has to be important because that’s what the judges look for. If he sees that he’s first, he’s going to look at that person more often.”
Like a stone-faced fighter, Campbell hasn’t changed his opinion on Yanez.
“Luis always was a good person,” Campbell said. “He’s so loyal to the people around him, and they gave him some terrible advice. That’s why we wanted him back. It wasn’t Luis. It was him listening to the people that should give him good advice.”
Yanez dismissed the notion of an ongoing feud with Campbell.
“Everything is fine,” he said. “We’re here working hard, and we’re going to continue working hard until we get that gold medal.”
US light flyweight boxer Luis Yanez celebrates his 12-9 win over Spain’s Jose Kelvin de la Nieve Wednesday night, August 13, 2008 at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Photo by The Gazette, Mark Reis