Deja vu all over again for U.S. boxers

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BEIJING -- The boxing squad was among the first U.S. teams to arrive here, despite the fact it was here just 10 months ago. But for head coach Dan Campbell, familiarity can breed success.

‘That’s why we did it,’ said Campbell, whose team competed in November’s Olympic test event at Beijing Workers’ Stadium. ‘So everybody could get a feel for the place and feel comfortable there. I thought it would make a difference, them having been here before, knowing the customs and things about China.’

Campbell’s fighters have been training as many as three times a day in Beijing. They run in the morning, work out in the gym during the afternoon and sometimes spar in the evening.

They’ve also been consulting doctors, who have been monitoring Beijing’s famously polluted air. So far, Campbell said, there’s been no danger. As for the competition, Campbell said Workers’ Stadium was to be fitted with air purifiers after last fall’s test event.

‘We saw where they would be installed,’ he said. ‘Whether they’re there or not, I don’t know.’

As for his fighters, Campbell’s sure they’re ready for Saturday’s opening bell.

‘They could box tomorrow,’ he said.

-- Kevin Baxter