Well perhaps you haven't been with us all evening if so you have missed a number of
gold medals in swimming the American gold rush continuing there but there also was gold
for Canada and for the Netherlands.
We've seen gymnastics competition the men's individual all around an absolutely spine
tingling competition in which Peter Vidmar of the United States finally lost to Gushiken
of Japan by 25 one thousandth of a point it was however the first silver medal achieved
by an individual American in gymnastics in the Olympic competition in 52 years the only
other one we'd ever won in fact by an individual was Peter Corman's bronze at Montreal in
1976 still lying ahead of us we have volleyball a little bit later on we have boxing coming
up we're gonna have boxing for you as a matter of fact right now I think the participant
we're going to be watching most closely the American Robert Shannon let's go then to
Howard Cosell here in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena coming up a bantamweight bout
featuring Bobby Shannon against Sammy Mwangi a Kenyan Bobby Shannon who fights like a tiger
Bobby Shannon as you see him there a lovely story really because he was a member of the
1980 Olympic team that didn't go to Moscow but he stuck around wanted to make the Olympic
team and he has done it again fighting brilliantly in the box-offs here are his career highlights
in my talk with him Robert Shannon made the 1980 Olympic team did not get the opportunity
to go to Moscow because of the American boycott but even in 80 he proved he was a quick-handed
and powerful punching fighter then in the 84 box-offs against world champion Floyd Fabers
there's that power in the right hand and quick-handed because he had the ability to beat Fabers to
the punch you'll see that right here right there you saw that again the right I asked
Shannon what motivated him to stay around for the 84 games well my mother for one thing
motivated me and my coach to stay and wait for day four to prove that I was the best
in the world in front of the world against the world's best during the years of waiting
Bob I note that you fought only relatively spare was this intention yeah I see yes I
box alone and to have so many bouts it can be hard on a person to compete all the time
mentally is strained physically is training on to keep as much energy as possible I don't
want to become an old man at another age and there is Bob Shannon from Mary'sville Washington
and hit goes Pat nappy now a familiar figure in these games of the 23rd Olympiad Shannon
who's come along so brilliantly in the box-offs after performing much less brilliantly in
the Olympic trials finals you beat Floyd Fabers you're doing something favors a terrific fighter
and there is Sammy wine don't know a lot about Sammy except you can be sure of one thing
he'll fight American style because of the American coaching influence begun in Kenya
by the late Sarge judge there is the tail of the tape so I gave one game five years
old and as you can see the rest of it is pretty even action begins the referees Romans Ramkowski
of Poland the judges come from Italy Columbia New Zealand the Philippine Islands and Thailand
so here we go trying to become the ninth American to move ahead in the boxing competition
American team is yet to suffer a defeat the inevitable chant begins in the backdrop
USA American flags all over the place
first round action Shannon being cautious
caution to Shannon holding around the neck
you saw Shannon with the right lead just a few seconds ago he's a fighter who can switch
see that
fighting southpaw style that's his first good flurry first time he puts punches together
he's primarily a southpaw but you will see him go right-handed from time to time
and you don't see many American southpaws that's for sure
you won't be has to be careful I think he knows that proud rod because
one day he went back on his heels and yet the blow wasn't as good as it seemed to the crowd
we have less than a minute in round one not the greatest round we've seen but a feeling out process
it's Shannon obviously being cautious and so is Sammy Wamby of Kenya
so far Wamby is having difficulty getting to Shannon who's picking off blows very well
well but in only one flurry did Shannon really look like Shannon there was a good left squad by
the Kenya counting down toward the end of round one
and the round ends
um
when he moves towards you then you'll hit with a hook okay and the same thing jab and hook
okay but when you're going in you're going with it you're straight one two right now don't run
and when he's coming to you bring those hands down some while we go to the body go to the body
we're ready at the boxing venue in the sports arena for round two Bob Shannon of the United
States against Sammy Wamby of Kenya and it may be a different Shannon now that he's felt out the
opponent we'll have to wait and see he should have I think gone to the stomach more in the
first round as he just did that got to fake the Kenyan use the jab and hook off
it again he went to the stomach and that's what he's got to do well those punches which he wasn't
doing in the first round however he's not fighting a statue things are easier said than done
oh they've been taught how to fight they've been taught well even when they lose they fight with
style plans and backing off causing the Kenyan to miss
this Ramkowski the referee was right and grab good left by Shannon less than a minute and a half to
go in the round second round action United States against Kenyan
good score by the Kenyan with the right it's not putting up a bad fight at all
I think Shannon is extremely tense over this fight that's happened to many of the American
fighters who have already moved ahead big difference in Braylon from the first to the second fight
he's the only American to afford two times already
so Shannon's dream really goes back eight years for this chance
so
that's the way to slow up the Kenyan if you can do it
stop
he's got good defense it's not an easy guy to penetrate
we're approaching the end of the second round
and it's a tough fight we'll be back in a moment
that nappy giving instructions to Robert Shannon Shannon good enough to have beaten the reigning
world champion Floyd Faber's to get here but not fighting the way he did against Faber's
no question about it hasn't been able to score with the right the way he should have hasn't
worked to the stomach the way he should have at least in my view but then the Kenyan has presented
clever defense and I do believe that Shannon with the long-awaited dream at hand came into this fight
very tense very to the crowd Shannon this is what it comes down to now the third and final round
the final round is backed off a lot in this contest which is not his normal style
so
third round action
the headgear off repairs on Shannon
we've got a minute 46 seconds left in the fight
right because i thought shannon would fight the way we know he can the way he did against Floyd Faber
now notice they can not move around let's do it now all the way in the
corner there was a word of encouragement that's all the official was right there
let's see what he can do with it he's not scoring cleanly against this fight
the good score by the Kenyan
very difficult fight for Robert Shannon finally he went to the midsection i thought through a
low blow that was a good right finally but he has not been connecting with that right in this fight
very difficult first round opponent for Robert Shannon and in my book the issue very much in doubt
oh
less than a minute to go
in a similar situation earlier today Meldrick Taylor had a huge third round
now against a very difficult Romanian opponent he has not been beating the key into the punch with
regularity the way we thought he would there is a knockdown
all right but finally got through Shannon has that kind of power but remember in amateur boxing that
scores for no more than a clean jab now he's gone as the fight approaches its end with finally
excitement in the ring there it is
so the crowd stands they got what they wanted they got a knockdown but we'll have to see
under olympic scoring procedures how the judges flawless fight something i do not believe the
crowd used to professional boxing scoring understand ladies now the decision the winner on points
five zero in the red corner robert so he got the unanimous decision and doubtless the third round
was what did the john form when he finished so strongly using the final 40 seconds control
so robert chan is the ninth american to move ahead in the boxing competition no losses yet
from robert shannon and here you're going to see the knockdown in slow motion
boy it looked like a cuff to me however referees randowski of poland called it a knockdown
and right now we've got the winner that kid didn't tie him for a minute did he
well that kid was a man he had me about four or five years i think he had that much in experience
alone i just try to use my strength you know as i told you that's my answer tough opponent you
didn't expect it did you no i thought after the first round i thought well it'd be a cakewalk
but no the guys from africa all the countries here they're fighting tough and uh i'm counting
them down so it's four more to go for that gold that's where i want to be that you're going to
have to retain your stamina and i thought you're a little tense tonight at the outset of the fight
weren't you yeah i was a little tense i've been waiting eight nine years for this you know as we
missed that boy out there in 80 and i had to throw on another four more years i've been tense i've
been wanting to fight all week robert congratulations oh thank you very much howard stayed not tense but
stayed tough keep your step hopefully i'll relax my next bout on sunday i'll relax and i'll try
to do a much better performance and throw more punches that's almost uh my big last series i
almost didn't throw enough punches until that third round you're right that's a take go on all right
thank you thank you very much okay so robert shannon moves ahead as noted the ninth american
fighter to move ahead not a loss yet not an easy victory a tough king in the opponent as shannon
said he was a man five years older than us so that's the action here at the sports arena
doesn't say too many years ago that a lot of athletes didn't even know what a television
camera was or whether they were there you notice robert shannon when he's walking across the ring
made some sort of signal to somebody watching at home and he knew exactly which camera was on the
air they all know the little red light today well the volleyball game the united states men's
volleyball game has not yet gotten underway it's a little bit late tonight you will be seeing
however either on this program or our late night coverage but i see the start of it at least right
here you know before these games began there were lots of worries about traffic and about smog and
about security and about drug use among athletes one thing that may not have been anticipated
would have been sabotage of the equipment of some competitors seems to have happened today