(OXNARD, CALIF.) – The first-ever
Women’s International Dual Series concluded on Saturday with
nine bouts of elite amateur boxing action, and U.S. flyweight
Alex Love (Monroe, Wash.) saved her best performance for the
last night. Love took on 2008 World Champion Karolina Michalczuk
of Poland in the final flyweight bout of the event, and refused
to be intimidated by her opponent’s resume. The American boxer
pulled out a 17-16 decision over Michalczuk as well as the
outstanding boxer of the tournament award in her weight
division.
A second American flyweight, Cynthia Moreno (Phoenix, Ariz.)
kicked off the action with a victory of her own, defeating
Spain’s Yasmina Musa Amakhtari, 16-4. Middleweight Lisbet Vargas
(Portland, Ore.) started a three bout winning streak for the
U.S. squad, claiming a 17-9 decision over Spain’s Tamara Fabiana
Garcia Zaragoza in the first middleweight bout of the night.
Team USA’s Tyrieshia Douglas (Baltimore, Md.) claimed a third
flyweight victory in her contest with Hungary’s Vivien Mizsei by
a 20-4 margin in her final contest of the event. U.S.
lightweights Stephanie Han (El Paso, Texas) and Queen Underwood
(Seattle, Wash.) both closed the event with wins as well,
defeating Hungary’s Pikacs Mercedesz and Poland’s Karolina
Graczyk to move Team USA’s win total to six on the night
The inaugural Women’s International Dual Series was a great
success with all of the participants enjoying a valuable
competitive opportunity.USA Boxing Women’s Task Force Chair
Christy Halbert was pleased with the event and believes it
filled an important role for both the U.S. and foreign
competitors. “The international Round Robin was designed to give
our U.S. boxers a lot of international experience in a short
amount of time,” Halbert said. “Our boxers got to see,
first-hand, what's necessary to succeed internationally, and
they can build on their knowledge in training. I think the
tournament model will serve us well in the future. “
The Oxnard PAL was once again served as a great host for a key
USA Boxing event, and provided a welcoming environment for all
of the participants. “I was really impressed with the
organization of our host, the Oxnard PAL,” Halbert added.
“Terrel Harrison, in particular, took a chance on this new
tournament model, and he and his staff made everyone feel
welcome and comfortable. Oxnard put on a first-class
international boxing event.”
The United States’ Underwood received the Outstanding Boxer
award in the lightweight division with Hungary’s Maria Kovacs
taking the middleweight trophy. The squad from Poland won the
team award and Dr. Martha Dodson was named the top official at
the event.
Women’s International Dual Series Saturday Results
112 lbs/51 kg: Cynthia Moreno, Phoenix, Ariz./USA, dec. Yasmina
Musa Amakhtari, Spain, 16-4
132 lbs/60 kg: Debbie Richards, Canada, dec. Mikaela Mayer,
Crest Hill, Calif./USA, 16-9
165 lbs/75 kg: Lisbet Vargas, Portland, Ore./USA, dec. Tamara
Fabiana Garcia Zaragoza, Spain, 17-9
112 lbs/51 kg: Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md./USA, dec.
Vivien Mizsei, Hungary, 20-4
132 lbs/60 kg: Stephanie Han, El Paso, Texas/USA, dec. Pikacs
Mercedesz, Hungary, 8-5
165 lbs/75 kg: Maria Kovacs, Hungary, won on medical walk over
Kalita Marsh, Smithfield, N.C./USA, DQ
112 lbs/51 kg: Alex Love, Monroe, Wash./USA, dec. Karolina
Michalczuk, Poland, 17-16
132 lbs/60 kg: Queen Underwood, Seattle, WA, won on medical walk
over Karolina Graczyk, Poland, DQ
165 lbs/75 kg: Lidia Fidura, Poland, dec. Alyssa DeFazio,
Phoenix, Ariz./USA, 5-3
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style
boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the
International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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Julie Goldsticker
President, Goldsticker Public Relations
