BOXING : BAD OFFICIATING BERATED ONLY ONE AMERICAN GETS TO GOLD-MEDAL ROUND.

Byline: Tom Cowlishaw Dallas Morning News

Ultimately, the kid in Al Mitchell's old candy store is all that remains for the U.S. boxing team as it staggers into the gold-medal round.

The Americans lost two more boxers in stunning fashion Friday with Floyd Mayweather losing a questionable 10-9 decision to Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov and world champion Antonio Tarver running out of gas against Kazakhstan's Vasilii Jirov.

They even lost an official as referee-judge Bill Waeckerle turned in his resignation after witnessing what he called ``a blatant example of incompetent officiating'' in the Mayweather bout.

So Philadelphia's David Reid, the light middleweight who hung out in Mitchell's store and gym when he was 9 years old, will be the lone U.S. boxer going for gold this year. The United States will receive five bronze medals, some more welcome than others.

Reid defeated Uzbekistan's Karim Tulaganov 12-4 to earn a gold-medal bout with Cuba's Alfredo Duvergel. ``For a long time, I've waited for this moment,'' he said. ``I wish everybody else could have made it with me.''

Mayweather thought he did, and so did the Alexander Memorial Coliseum crowd. Interestingly, so did referee Hamadi Hafez Shouman, who raised Mayweather's hand instead of Todorov's. The referee then stepped back to look at the scoreboard, which showed Todorov winning 10-9.

``He's supposed to be the world champion, and I think we know now who the real champion is,'' said Mayweather.

U.S. coaches and officials cried foul, which was nothing new. They have complained about the scoring even after winning bouts. The fact that Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev is the chairman of the organization that selects officials and judges was not lost on the Americans.

``The officials get scared they're going to lose their jobs and the Bulgarian is in charge,'' said coach Mitchell. ``Both bouts I really felt we won that the U.S. lost were against Bulgarians. They need to take these judges and referees and this system and throw them all in the trash.''

Mayweather appeared to land more blows during the fight, and Todorov even picked up a point once when the referee warned him for a head slap. Said Waeckerle: ``Watching bout 323 tonight between Todorov and Mayweather, it was apparent to me that this officiating is incompetent. There is no question it was judged incorrectly.

``It wasn't as gross as the Roy Jones decision (in the 1988 Games), but it was way off-base.''

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Photo

Photo: (color) Floyd Mayweather of the United States, right , fights a losing battle against Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov in a semifinal match.

Associated Press