(FEB 21) Five of USA Boxing’s
elite women traveled across the globe on Wednesday for the 66th
annual Strandja International Boxing Tournament, February 24-28,
in Sofia, Bulgaria. Flyweight Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas),
bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.), lightweight
Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.), light welterweight Rashida
Ellis (Lynn, Mass.), and middleweight Tika Hemingway
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) will all compete in the first international
tournament of the year for Team USA’s female boxers.
All five American athletes are coming off strong performances at
the 2015 USA Boxing National Championships with each of them
claiming hardware in the premier national event. Mayer not only
won gold in the lightweight division but also claimed the first
spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing. Fuchs
joined her in qualifying for the Olympic Trials with her silver
medal finish in the flyweight division while Cruz added yet
another national title to her ever-growing resume at the event
with a win in the bantamweight division. Ellis and Hemingway
both took bronze medals in 2015 USA Boxing National
Championships competition, falling to 2012 Olympian Queen
Underwood and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields
respectively.
The U.S. team is currently getting acclimated to their
surroundings in Sofia and preparing for the multi-nation
competition. The five American competitors and their fellow
athletes will all take part in the general weigh-in on Tuesday
morning before the tournament draw and start of competition on
Tuesday evening. Preliminary competition will run through
Thursday with semifinal action on Friday and the tournament
finals on Saturday.
Coaches Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Andrews Soto
(Phoenix, Ariz.) are leading the U.S. squad in the first
international tournament of the year in Bulgaria.
U.S. Roster
112 lbs: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas
119 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, New York
132 lbs: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, California
141 lbs: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Massachusetts
165 lbs: Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coach: Israel Acosta, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Coach: Andrews Soto, Phoenix, Arizona