LONDON -- American flyweight Marlen Esparza, from Pasadena, will have to settle for the bronze in boxing after a 10-8 loss to Chinese world champioin Ren Cancan.
Ren’s cautious defensive style in her win over the livelier Esparza got the U.S. off to an inauspicious start.
Esparza gamely tried to force Ren into a fight, but the Chinese champion sat back dispassionately and threw counterpunches that scored just enough points to win. Ren’s rigid strategy and Esparza’s attempts to wait her out earned warnings for both fighters in each of the first three rounds for not throwing enough punches.
