Olympic Boxing 2012: International Stars Will Overshadow US Boxers

U.S. boxers no longer dominate the Olympics like they used to. International boxers now rule the sport, and the 2012 Olympic Games in London will highlight this point.

Long gone are the glory days of the 80's and 90's, when Pernell Whittaker, Evander Holyfield, Ray Mercer, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar de la Hoya and Antonio Tarver were but a handful of the myriad of U.S. stars that crushed the rest of the world.

The Americans are only sending a couple of boxers this year—one man and one woman—who are legitimate medal contenders.

Flyweight Rau'shee Warren will make his way back to his third Olympics, and though he's one of the most accomplished U.S. boxers in history with four national championships, he's never won a medal. According to team officials, via SI.com, he is more focused than ever before and will make a strong push for his first medal.

Middleweight Claressa Shields is America's best chance for a medal this year, according to the SI.com report, at the young age of 17. She earned her lofty status as gold-medal favorite after she beat up on Canada's Mary Spencer in the Women's Continental Championships in 2011.  

After Warren and Fields, though, the U.S. boxing team doesn't have much going for them.

Here are some of the top international boxers that will steal America's thunder in 2012:

Lazaro Alvarez, Cuba, Bantamweight

Alvarez burst onto the international boxing scene in 2011 by winning the World Championships at the age of 20, beating five top-10 seeds on his way to the final.

He also performed admirably and won the Pan American Games, and he's the favorite to win gold in his weight class.

Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukraine, Lightweight

Lomachenko could have turned pro, but he decided against it in favor of another Olympic gold-medal run. He won the silver medal in 2007 and gold medal in 2009 at the World Amateur World Championships, and he won gold at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.  

Lomachenko is the favorite to win this year's gold, as well, and it will be a shock if he fails to do so.

Ren Cancan, China, Flyweight

Cancan is the reigning World Champion, a feat she's now conquered three times in a row. 

She's focused on nothing short of a gold in London, according to ChinaDaily.com: "This (a third world championship) gives me a great confidence boost. The next big thing is the Olympics, and a gold medal will be my only target."

It's tough to see anyone defeating the determined boxer, and I expect her to take home the gold medal.

Savannah Marshall, Great Britain, Middleweight  

If Shields is going to lose this summer in London, Marshall is likely going to be the boxer that stops her. 

Marshall already beat her once, on her way to winning the World Championships in May. According to SI.com, Marshall is a relative newcomer to the sport and isn't exactly textbook when it comes to what you see in the ring, but there's no doubt she's a winner.

These are just a few of the multitude of talented international stars heading to London for the 2012 Olympic Games. The sport of boxing, once dominated by the United States, is now wide open to the rest of the world. 

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more news, opinion and analysis as we get closer to the opening ceremony on July 27. 

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