SUMMER GAMES SPOTLIGHT : BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 14 : DUVA EXPECTED MORE

Is Joe Byrd, the laid-back guy who coaches the U.S. boxing team, a little too laid back?

Lou Duva, the trainer of pro boxers Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor, believes so. Duva believes the U.S. team should have more boxers in the medal round. U.S. boxers can win a maximum of two medals at the Olympics.

“It’s that whole USA Boxing group, from the coaching staff right on down,” he said. “No one is motivating these kids. This is the Olympics, for crying out loud, and nobody seems excited about it. They’re letting these kids quit on themselves.”

Jim Fox, executive director of USA Boxing, was asked if the federation was happy with Byrd and his staff. After a pause, he said:

“Our expectations were higher. But any time you bring together the best boxers in the world and put them in a blind-draw tournament, it isn’t easy for anyone. Yet when you look at the world ratings before the Olympics, we expected to do better.”

This a daily roundup of Olympic-related items from reporters in Barcelona from the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and Baltimore Sun, all Times-Mirror newspapers.