Olympic Boxing 2012: U.S. Women on Verge of Landmark Medals in London Games

Marlen Esparza and Claressa Shields of the United States are on the brink of boxing immortality in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

To begin, the men—for the first time in American Olympic boxing history—failed to medal after Errol Spence lost his quarterfinal bout. So, it's strictly up to the women for USA's hopes at gold in boxing.

Fortunately, both have already solidified an Olympic medal; each qualified for the semifinal round. Much like judo and wrestling, boxing awards two bronze medals instead of having a match to determine third place.

On a more legendary scale, however, Esparza and Shields are part of a cornerstone in boxing and Olympic history. The 2012 London Games are the inaugural Olympiad to have women's boxing as a competition.

So, with a medal already in place, Esparza and Shields are automatically cemented and will forever remain a part of something unique and important. In addition, since the American duo has yet to lose, each are alive for the gold medal.

It's impressive enough to already be making history, but the opportunity to do so in gold medal fashion would put them on a pedestal that no one in women's boxing will ever be able to equal. It's a pinnacle that can only happen once, and the potential implications of the sport in the United States are beyond epic.

And in honor of their current opportunity, let's take a quick look at what each must do in the semifinals to keep the Olympic gold medal dream intact.

Marlen Esparza, Flyweight (51 kilograms)

Esparza has the tougher opponent of the two in facing No. 1 seed Ren Cancan of China.

Cancan has a longer reach, defends emphatically well and is efficient when on offense. Although she's a three-time world champion, Cancan was exposed in her 12-7 win over Russia's Elena Savelyeva. Savelyeva was able to land some punches inside during the middle rounds, but that was when Cancan was attacking more as well.

If Esparza can be effective with counter-punches and work Cancan from the outside to avoid her reach, an upset is possible. Throwing combos will be crucial too, because the more Esparza moves, the more Cancan's defense will open up.

Claressa Shields, Middleweight (75 kilograms)

Even though Esparza has the No. 1 seed in her class, Shields faces a confident Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan who upset the middleweight No.1 seed, Savannah Marshall of Great Britain.

This bout will be an offensive explosion unlike the flyweight. Volnova won her first two matches 20-11 and 16-12, while Shields won her fight 18-14. Shields has the advantage with a longer reach, but Volnova's defense is effective to the point where she counter-attacks quite well.

Shields must also expect Volnova to come out swinging, because she has started off strong through the first two bouts. Shields can really put herself in the best position to win; however, she can't try to come on late.

She was losing after two rounds against Anna Laurell of Sweden but managed to take over the fight. Volnova has the offense to get up early and defense to coast toward the end, so Shields has to utilize her reach advantage and counter at a consistent rate.

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