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Saunders: Out of tournament.
"In the dressing room there was steam coming out of his ears."
Terry Edwards
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Genuine British medal hope Bradley Saunders was surprisingly defeated by Frenchman Alexis Vastine, but the light-welterweight then admitted that he was glad to be out of the Olympics.
Sedgefield slugger Saunders was a bronze medallist at the World Championships in Chicago last year, and thought to be a genuine medal contender in Beijing.
However, he was beaten 11-7 by the Frenchman he convincingly outpointed 30-12 in Chicago to be sent packing from the competition much earlier than expected.
The 24-year-old, though, insists it is now a weight off his shoulders to be out of the tournament after all the expectation.
Weight
"It's a big weight off my shoulders now I know I haven't got a medal," Saunders admitted.
"It's been brilliant coming here but there's so much pressure with the training and not seeing my family.
"Anyone who works away from home will tell you they don't like being away. I never did any of this for myself, I did it for my family.
"Now I can live a normal boy's life for a while and have a little time off."
Saunders never got into the fight against the lanky Frenchman, and it was a largely bad day for British boxers as namesake Billy Joe Saunders was beaten by Cuban Carlos Banteaux.
Sunderland light-heavyweight Tony Jeffries did manage a win, although it was a close call with a countback victory after a 5-5 draw.
Pressure
But Saunders was the big-name casualty and coach Terry Edwards admitted he had feared the worst before the fight.
"In the dressing room there was steam coming out of his ears," Edwards admitted.
"He got in the ring and showed an over-eagerness and his brain went out of the window.
"But he tried everything and it wasn't enough.
"Coming to an Olympic Games is a lot of pressure and it gets to you. I think the expectation of the media also put a bit more pressure on him."
