Twelve boxers. Three medals. One gold.
Those numbers sum up the U.S. boxing effort at the Olympic Games, and not since 1948, when only a silver was awarded, have they been this bad.During Sunday's six finals, not one U.S. boxer climbed into the ring. The Cubans, however, were barely ever out of it.
Three more Cubans won gold medals Sunday and another won a silver, giving the powerful Cuban boxing machine seven of the 12 golds and another two silvers.
"It's the best Cuban team I've ever seen," said Jim Fox, USA Boxing executive director.
German boxers had the second best medal haul, taking home two golds, a silver and a bronze medal.
Only Oscar De La Hoya took a gold for the United States, winning at 132 pounds. Chris Byrd had a silver at 165 pounds and Timothy Austin won bronze at 112 pounds.
Four years after U.S. officials were patting themselves on the back for the eight-medal, three-gold, haul in the Seoul Olympics, they now head for USA Boxing's annual meeting in September with serious questions about the program's future.
Four years ago, of course, Cuba wasn't at the Games.