(JUNE 30) The 2013 Junior Olympic
National Championships concluded with 22 championship round
contests on Saturday afternoon at the Arthur R. Outlaw
Convention Center in Mobile, Ala. All of the competitors boxed
their hearts out, hoping to win a highly coveted Junior Olympic
National title. With two rings of action being contested
simultaneously and multiple razor-thin bouts, the intensity was
high throughout the final session.
The pinweight class (101 lbs) kicked off final round action in
both male and female divisions and the first gold medal of the
day went to Dylan Price (Sicklerville, N.J.). The 14-year-old
phenom earned his first Junior Olympic National title with a 2-1
decision over Kawelo Alcos (Wapahu, Hawaii) in their high-paced
final round contest. Price took home not only the gold medal but
also the Male Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament award for his
efforts in Mobile.
Junior World Team Open pinweight champion Caitlin Orosco
(Anaheim, Calif.) took the ring for the first time in Mobile in
final round action, facing off with Aiyana Callas (West
Hartford, Conn.). She wasted no time getting started in her
championship bout with Callas, applying pressure early and
often. Orosco added a second national title to her 2013 resume,
winning a unanimous decision victory over Callas to take the
gold medal.
Light flyweight (106 lbs) Aaron Perez (Albuquerque, N.M.)
claimed the gold medal in the male division with a 3-0 decision
over Derek Ochoa (Sanger, Calif.) in their final round match-up.
In female action, Juliette Ladisa (Bronx, N.Y.) took the
championship bout by a 2-1 decision over Kianna Hernandez
(Dallas, Texas) to win light flyweight gold.
Flyweight (110 lbs) Vergil Ortiz (Grand Prairie, Texas) scored a
win for Texas in a Junior Olympic boxing version of the Red
River shootout. Ortiz won a 2-1 decision over Aaron Morales (Eufala,
Okla.) in their championship bout to take the gold medal. The
Lone Star state didn’t enjoy the same success in women’s action
with Kristyn Juarez (Los Angeles, Calif.) claiming a 2-1 win
over Jacklyn Deras (Weslaco, Texas) in their final round
contest.
Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.) fell one win short of taking
Junior Olympic gold in 2012 but he made sure that he didn’t
suffer the same fate in 2013. Just one day after his 16th
birthday, Stevenson won a Junior Olympic National Championship
with a unanimous decision victory over Darren Cunningham (St.
Louis, Mo.) in the light bantamweight (114 lbs) finale.
The female light bantamweight crown went to a young boxer from
the opposite side of the country. Odalys Camacho (Bakersfield,
Calif.) took the gold medal with a 3-0 decision over Kristy
Rodriguez (Naperville, Ill.).
Bantamweight (119 lbs) Ruben Villa (Salinas, Calif.) entered the
tournament as one of the few defending champions in the event
and he refused to let someone steal his crown. Villa became a
two-time Junior Olympic National Champion with a split decision
victory over Junior World Team Open titlist Devin Haney (Las
Vegas, Nev.).
Female returning champion Melody Montes (Kissimmee, Fla.) didn’t
have the same luck in her bantamweight finale with breakout star
Jayda Thomas (Detroit, Mich.). Thomas was one of the standouts
in the tournament throughout the week and Saturday’s final round
bout was no exception. The 15-year-old Thomas defeated Montes by
a 3-0 margin to win bantamweight gold as well as the Female
Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament award.
Isidro Ochoa (Fresno, Calif.) became the second returning
champion to claim another gold medal in Mobile. Ochoa, who moved
up to the featherweight class (125 lbs) for the 2013 event,
defeated Junior World Team Open Champion Michael Nelson
(Mansfield, Ohio), by split decision in their championship bout.
Female featherweight Anna Crutchfield (Greenville, S.C.) has
long dreamed about becoming a Junior Olympic champion and she
accomplished her goal on Saturday. Crutchfield won a unanimous
decision over Jermesha Poke (St. Louis, Mo.) in final round
action to take home the featherweight gold medal.
Two Junior World Team Open champions claimed Junior Olympic
National Championships gold in the lightweight division (132
lbs). Male competitor Keoni Adric, Jr. (Haleima, Hawaii) boxed
all four days in Mobile and his full week of boxing culminated
with a 3-0 decision victory in his final round contest with
Andres Cortes (Henderson, Nev.). Iesha Kenney (Alexandria, Va.)
took gold in the female lightweight division with a unanimous
decision win over Cynthia Arellano (Phoenix, Ariz.).
The male light welterweight division (138 lbs) crown went to
Mark Dawson (Philadelphia, Pa.) following Dawson’s unanimous
decision win over Mykquan Williams (Hartford, Conn.) in final
round competition. In the female division, McKayla Hamilton
(Hamilton, Mont.) pulled out a 3-0 victory over Jayden Gilden
(Ingleside, Texas) to win her first Junior Olympic National
Championship.
Charles Conwell (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) won gold in a
closely-contest championship bout in the male welterweight
division (145 lbs). He pulled out a 2-1 split decision over Hans
Perez (Staten Island, N.Y.) to take the 2013 Junior Olympic
National Championships title. Female welterweight Jordanne
Garcia (Albuquerque, N.M.) won the lone TKO of the day in her
contest with Victoria Ramirez (Lubbock, Texas). Garcia ensured
the bout didn’t go to the judges, staying aggressive throughout
the bout and causing the referee to call a halt to the contest
in the third round.
2012 Junior Olympic National Championships silver medalist Edgar
Berlanga (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hoped to take the final step up the
medal stand at the 2013 event, but his opponent Ferdinand
Kerobyan (N. Hollywood, Calif.) had other ideas. Kerobyan won a
2-1 split decision victory over Berlanga to claim gold in the
junior middleweight division (154 lbs).
Berlanga’s Veles Cup teammate, Manjaro Hills, Jr. (Baker, La.)
fell just short in his championship bout with Vernon Lee (Rock
Island, Ill.) as well. Lee won the middleweight final round
contest by the slimmest of margins, pulling out a tiebreaker
victory on his 2-1 judges’ poll edge.
The final two bouts of the tournament went to split decisions in
both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Light
heavyweight (176 lbs) Sergio Flores (Overland Park, Kansas)
claimed gold in his weight class with a 2-1 victory over Mario
Hernandez (Sparks, Nev.) in their championship bout showdown.
In the last bout of the tournament, Taifer Rigaud (Arlington,
Mass.) won a 2-1 victory over Marcus Carter (Detroit, Mich.) to
take heavyweight gold.
The Junior Olympic National Championships took place in Mobile
for the third straight year, and the competition is the fourth
event in the city in the last three years.
Saturday’s Final Round Results
101 lbs/male: Dylan Price, Sicklerville, N.J., dec. Kawelo Alcos,
Wapahu, Hawaii, 2-1
101 lbs/female: Caitlin Orosco, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Aiyana
Callas, West Hartford, Conn., 3-0
106 lbs/male: Aaron Perez, Albuquerque, N.M., dec. Derek Ochoa,
Sanger, Calif., 3-0
106 lbs/female: Juliette Ladisa, Bronx, N.Y., dec. Kianna
Hernandez, Dallas, Texas, 2-1
110 lbs/male: Vergil Ortiz, Grand Prairie, Texas, dec. Aaron
Morales, Eufala, Okla., 2-1
110 lbs/female: Kristyn Juarez, Los Angeles, Calif., dec.
Jacklyn Deras, Weslaco, Texas, 3-0
114 lbs/male: Shakur Stevenson, Newark, N.J., dec. Darren
Cunningham, St. Louis, Mo., 3-0
114 lbs/female: Odalys Camacho, Bakersfield, Calif., dec. Kristy
Rodriguez, Naperville, N.J., 3-0
119 lbs/male: Ruben Villa, Salinas, Calif., dec. Devin Haney,
Las Vegas, Nev., 2-1
119 lbs/female: Jayda Thomas, Detroit, Mich., dec. Melody
Montes, Kissimmee, Fla., 3-0
125 lbs/male Isidro Ochoa, Fresno, Calif., dec. Michael Nelson,
Mansfield, Ohio, 2-1
125 lbs/female: Anna Crutchfield, Greenville, S.C., dec.
Jermesha Poke, St. Louis, Mo., 3-0
132 lbs/male: Keoni Adric, Jr., Haleima, Hawaii, dec. Andres
Cortes, Henderson, Nev., 3-0
132 lbs/female: Iesha Kenney, Alexandria, Va., dec. Cynthia
Arellano, Phoenix, Ariz., 3-0
138 lbs/male: Mark Dawson, Philadelphia, Pa. dec. Mykquan
Williams, Hartford, Conn., 3-0
138 lbs/female: McKayla Hamilton, Hamilton, Mont., dec. Jayden
Gilden, Ingleside, Texas, 3-0
145 lbs/male: Charles Conwell, Cleveland Heights, Ohio dec. Hans
Perez, Staten Island, N.Y., 2-1
145 lbs/female: Jordanne Garcia, Albuquerque, N.M., won on TKO
over Victoria Ramirez, Lubbock, Texas, TKO-3
154 lbs/male: Ferdinand Kerobyan, N. Hollywood, Calif., dec.
Edgar Berlanga, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2-1
165 lbs/male: Vernon Lee, Rock Island, Ill., won on tiebreaker
over Manjaro Hills, Baker, La., TB
176 lbs/male: Sergio Flores, Overland Park, Kansas dec. Mario
Hernandez, Sparks, Nev., 2-1
176+ lbs/male: Taifer Rigaud, Arlington, Mass., dec. Marcus
Carter, Detroit, Mich., 2-1
176 + lbs/female: Payton Childers, Huntington, W. Va., won
unopposed
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