OCT 13)
TOLEDO, OHIO) – On the same night that 18 young boxers were
crowned as national champions, Olympic gold medalist Claressa
Shields (Flint, Mich.) made her return to the ring in her first
bout since the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
As expected, Shields’ bout claimed all of the attention in the
arena despite action in the other two rings when she stepped
through the ropes in the final bout of the evening. The
17-year-old high school senior faced a familiar foe in her first
bout of the tournament, taking on fellow Olympic Trials
participant Dara Shen (Alexandria, Va.).
In true Shields
fashion, she came out firing early, throwing heavy shots at her
opponent and claiming a 10-2 lead after the first round. She
kept the heat on in the second, continuing to stalk Shen and
throw her signature sharp punches. Shields held a 19-5 lead at
the midway mark of the bout, but the strong lead didn’t slow
down her output in the least. She continued to pepper Shen with
shots, giving her two eight counts in the round before the
referee called a halt to the bout at the :46 mark of the
contest.
“It felt good, I haven’t fought in my team colors in so long. I
wasn’t at the Olympics of course, but I still felt like
everybody was watching me so I had to block everyone out,”
Shields said. “I’m not a ‘just enough’ fighter, I don’t want to
beat anyone by just one point or make it look close. I want to
beat them by as much as I can. I don’t want to go all four
rounds, I want to get in and get out.”
Shields will take on multi-time national champion Franchon Crews
(Baltimore, Md.) in Saturday’s finals. The two battled on the
opening day of the Olympic Trials with Shields taking the win
before Crews moved up to the light heavyweight division for the
2012 USA Boxing National Championships and World Championships.
Crews, a former multi-time middleweight national champion, moved
back down to her original weight class for the 2012 National PAL
Championships.
“I love Franchon, but tomorrow we’re not friends. After we get
out of the ring, we can go get our nails and make-up done,”
Shields said. “It’s another fight and my coach wants me to stop
everybody so I’m going to try to stop her but we’ll see what
happens because she’s a tough sally.”
The 11-12-year-old and 13-14-year-old divisions featured final
round bouts on Friday while semifinal action was contested in
the 15-16-year-old and open classes. While Shields closed the
night’s action, the first female junior bout took place in
Friday’s semifinal action. Dazzlin Turner (Cleveland Heights,
Ohio) made it a quick opener, winning a first round stoppage
over Jessica Balli (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) to advance to the
finals.
In men’s open division competition, four weight classes competed
in semifinal action on Friday night with the bantamweight,
lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and middleweight
boxers all vying for spots in the finals.
In bantamweight competition, both competitors recorded
double-digit wins in their semifinal bouts to move on to
championship night. Dennis Galarza (Orlando, Fla.) advanced to
the finals with a 25-14 decision over Antwan Robinson
(Baltimore, Md.) in semifinal round competition. Galarza will
face 2012 USA Boxing National Championships bronze medalist Gary
Salazar (Fresno, Calif.) on Saturday. Salazar won a 36-21
decision over D’Andres Hockerson (Rochester, N.Y.) to join
Galarza in the finals.
The lightweight final will feature a showdown between 2012
Junior Olympic National Champion Malik Montgomery (Macon, Ga.)
and 2012 Olympic Trials participant Kenneth Sims, Jr. (Chicago,
Ill.). Montgomery pulled out a 36-33 decision over Lavias
Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) in semifinal round competition while
Sims defeated Tommy Logan (Winter Haven, Fla.) by a 19-12 margin
to advance.
Two of the nation’s top light welterweight prospects earned
spots in the finals with wins on Friday. With 2012 Olympian
Jamel Herring (Coram, N.Y.) on hand to check out the action,
2012 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist Julian
Rodriguez (Paterson, N.Y.) and 2012 Junior Olympic National
Champion and Outstanding Boxer Erickson Lubin (Orlando, Fla.)
won their semifinal bouts. Rodriguez faced off with Olympic
Trials lightweight participant Damon Allen (Philadelphia, Pa.)
in a contest that was closely contested through most of the
bout. Yet Rodriguez emerged victorious, winning a 19-14 decision
over Allen. On the opposite side of the bracket, Lubin continued
his run through the tournament, winning an 18-11 victory over
Kevin Johnson (Las Vegas, Nev.).
2012 USA Boxing National Champion Patrick Day (Freeport, N.Y.)
punched his ticket for the finals with a 20-14 win over fellow
New Yorker Chardale Booker (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Day will take on
Rashidi Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) on Saturday evening. Ellis won a
15-13 decision over Jamontay Clark (Cincinnati, Ohio) in
semifinal action. Ellis and his younger sister, Rashida will
both compete in Saturday’s finals with Rashida taking on world
champion Tiara Brown (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) in the featherweight
final.
The final semifinal bouts of the night in the men’s division
took place in the middleweight division. Peter Reyes (Long
Island City, N.Y.) pulled out a one-point decision over LeShawn
Rodriguez (Shirley, N.Y.), winning a 22-21 victory. He will face
Daniel Valdivia (Tulare, Calif.) in the middleweight finale
following his tiebreaker win over Carlos Monroe (Stone Mountain,
Ga.).
Twenty-three open division championship bouts and eight junior
final contests will take place on the last day of 2012 National
PAL Championships action at the Seagate Centre with all the
action beginning at 6 p.m.
Friday’s Championship round Results
11-12-year-old/70 lbs: Ray Ray Robinson, Cincinnati, Ohio dec.
Judah Rodriguez, Humble, Texas, 14-2
11-12-year-old/75 lbs: Ty’Shaun Humphrey, Cleveland, Ohio dec.
Kavon Robertson, Staunton, Va., 9-4
11-12-year-old/80 lbs: Adrian Benton, Cincinnati, Ohio dec.
Niasheen Williams, Rochester, N.Y., 8-5
11-12-year-old/85 lbs: Desean Minor, Cincinnati, Ohio dec. Davis
Paris, Rochester, N.Y., 17-7
11-12-year-old/95 lbs: Otha Jones, Toledo, Ohio dec. Davelle
Smith, 22-6
11-12-year-old/110 lbs: Lorenzo Simpson, Balitmore, Md., dec.
Harley Maderos, Brooklyn, N.Y., 19-11
11-12-year-old/114 lbs: Dillon Burrell, Cleveland, Ohio dec.
Antonio Grant, Cincinnati, Ohio, 17-14
13-14-year-old/85 lbs: Otha Jones, Toledo, Ohio dec. Rudy
Calixto, Delar, Md., 15-8
13-14-year-old/90 lbs: Nicholas Sullivan, Portsmouth, Va., dec.
Thomas Blumenfield, Albany, N.Y., 14-5
13-14-year-old/95 lbs: Jody Gauthier II, Opelousas, La., dec.
David Davis, Detroit, Mich., 11-7
13-14-year-old/101 lbs: Leon Lawson, Flint, Mich., dec. Jason
Pauley, Marmet, W. Va., 20-3
13-14-year-old/106 lbs: Reshati Mati, Staten Island, N.Y., dec.
Pedro Marrero, Tampa, Fla., 12-5
13-14-year-old/110 lbs: Troy Isley, Alexandria, Va., dec. Ivan
Franco Calixto, Delar, Md.,16-12
13-14-year-old/114 lbs: Brandon Lee, Coachella, Calif., dec.
Israel Garcia, Oxnard, Calif., Oxnard, Calif., 12-4
13-14-year-old/119 lbs: Michael Dutchover, Midland, Texas, dec.
Christian White, Detroit, Mich., 9-8
13-14-year-old/125 lbs: Michael Nelson, Mansfield, Ohio dec.
Sebastian Fundora, Tampa, Fla., 9-8
13-14-year-old/132 lbs: Mykquan Williams, E. Hartford, Conn.,
dec. James Denson, Jr., Akron, Ohio, 11-5
13-14-year-old/145 lbs: Janelson Figueroa, Detroit, Mich., dec.
Charles Conwell, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 14-12
Friday’s semifinal results
15-16-year-old/101 lbs: Geovanny Martinez, Chicago, Ill., dec.
Jimmy Serra, Paterson, N.J., 24-22
15-16-year-old/101 lbs: Saul Bravo, Santa Ana, Calif., dec.
George Hammond IV, Shawnee, Kansas, 11-5
15-16-year-old/106 lbs: Bruce Cardington, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec.
Samari Harte, 23-9
15-16-year-old/106 lbs: Cortez Todd, Detroit, Mich., dec.
Keshawn Williams,
15-16-year-old/110 lbs: Tyrone Arzeno, Allentown, Pa., dec.
Lawon Conner, Chicago, Ill., 15-3
15-16-year-old/114 lbs: Lawerence Newton, Deerfield Beach, Fla.,
stopped Sahim Cherry, Pleasantville, N.J., RSC-1
15-16-year-old/114 lbs: Carlos Balderas, Santa Monica, Calif.,
dec. Dallas Holden, Atlantic City, N.J., 19-8
15-16-year-old/132 lbs: Nasir Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., dec.
Lajuan Bright, Atlantic City, N.J., 8-8 (26-24)
15-16-year-old/138 lbs: Mark Dawson, Philadelphia, Pa., dec.
Larry Anderson, Joilet, Ill., 26-24
15-16-year-old/138 lbs: Dagoberto Mederos, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec.
Zakery Rollins, Zanesville, Ohio, 8-7
15-16-year-old female/154 lbs: Dazzlin Turner, Cleveland
Heights, Ohio stopped Jessica Balli, Port St. Lucie, Fla., RSC-2
15-16-year-old/154 lbs: Malik Hawkins, Baltimore, Md., dec.
Jafet Medrano, Columbus, Ohio, 10-4
15-16-year-old/154 lbs: Alexis Rocha, Santa Ana, Calif., dec.
Chase Calloway, St. Joseph, Mo., RSC-3
Open male/123 lbs: Dennis Galarza, Orlando, Fla., dec. Antwan
Robinson, Baltimore, Md., 25-14
Open male/123 lbs: Gary Salazar, Fresno, Calif., dec. D’Andres
Hockerson, Rochester, N.Y., 36-21
Open male/132 lbs: Kenneth Sims, Jr., Chicago, Ill., dec. Tommy
Logan, Winter Haven, Fla., 19-12
Open male/132 lbs: Malik Montgomery, Macon, Ga., dec. Lavias
Williams, Rochester, N.Y., 36-33
Open male/141 lbs: Julian Rodriguez, Paterson, N.J., dec. Damon
Allen, Philadelphia, Pa., 19-14
Open male/141 lbs: Erickson Lubin, Orlando, Fla., dec. Kevin
Johnson, Las Vegas, Nev., 18-11
Open male/152 lbs: Patrick Day, Freeport, N.Y., dec. Chardale
Booker, Brooklyn, N.Y., 20-14
Open male/152 lbs: Rashidi Ellis, Lynn, Mass., dec. Jamontay
Clark, Cincinnati, Ohio, 15-13
Open male/165 lbs: Daniel Valdivia, Tulare, Calif., dec. Carlos
Monroe, Stone Mountain, Ga., 18-18 (60-59)
Open male/165 lbs: Peter Reyes, Long Island City, N.Y., dec.
Leshawn Rodriguez, Shirley, N.Y., 22-21
Open female/165 lbs: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec.
Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., 24-16
Open female/165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., stopped
Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va., RSC-3 (:46)
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).
WBAN
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