(JAN 9) (RENO, NEVADA.) – The 2015 Junior Open and Youth National Championships headed in to semifinal round competition at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev., on Thursday. The action was hotly contested from start to finish on the fourth day of action as the young boxers vied for final round berths in the third year of tournament competition.

The junior division athletes kicked off the day’s competition in the noon session and the younger generation set a strong tone for the day with 22 semifinal bouts on Thursday. The biggest upset of the early session came in the men’s light bantamweight division as Rogelio Ortega (Pasadena, Texas) pulled out a split decision win over reigning Junior Open and Junior Olympic champion Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk, Va.). Ortega moves on to the gold medal bout where he will face Otha Jones (Toledo, Ohio).

Reigning female bantamweight champion Lesly Soria (Los Angeles, Calif.) also fell in the day’s junior division competition. Soria dropped a unanimous decision to Yarisel Ramiez (Las Vegas, Nev.) in their semifinal bout. Ramirez moves on to a final round contest with Jessica Juarez (San Diego, Calif.) on Friday.

A champion advanced in the men’s bantamweight division as well, 2014 Junior Olympic national champion added another victory to his tally on Thursday. He took a 3-0 decision over hometown boxer Emmanuel Rojas (Fallon, Nev.) to advance to another championship bout.

2014 Junior Olympic champion Leon Lawson (Flint, Mich.) enjoyed more success in his tournament opener with Joaquin Garcia (Dallas, Texas). Lawson took a unanimous decision victory in the light welterweight semifinal bout to move on to a showdown with fellow Junior Olympic titlist Andres Borrego (Denver, Colo.) in tomorrow’s final round competition.

Defending Junior Open champion Diana Estrada (Hillsboro, Ore.) claimed her second straight victory of the week with a 3-0 win over Vanessa Pericon (Las Vegas, Nev.) in women’s featherweight competition.

The string of entertaining bouts continued in the evening session as the youth division contestants took the ring at the Grand Sierra Resort. The youth division action featured three TKO victories by former champions. 2014 Youth Olympic champion Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.) made her long awaited return to the ring on Thursday night and she made it a quick outing. In her typical style, Gonzalez overwhelmed Audrey Morris (McKinney, Texas) on her way to a first round TKO and a final round match-up with Ariel Arismendez (Tolleson, Ariz.).

Two-time Junior Olympic national champion won a first round TKO in her second youth bout on Thursday, defeating Katrina Nahe (Antioch, Calif.) to move on to a final round showdown with defending titlist Melody Montes (Kissimmee, Fla.).

In the middleweight division, returning youth champion Charles Conwell (Cleveland, Ohio) recorded a second round TKO over Junior Olympic titlist Atif Oberlton (Philadelphia, Pa.) to move on to a final round contest with Edgar Berlanga (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

2015 Junior Open and Youth National Championships competition will conclude with final round action on Friday as the junior boxers compete at noon and the youth athletes close the show at 5 p.m. For full tournament brackets, bout sheets and results, go to www.usaboxing.org.

Thursday's Semifinal Results

Youth Division

106 lbs/female: Ruth Diaz, Houston, Texas dec. Mia Valadez, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0

106 lbs/female: Hillary Perez, Arlington, Texas, dec. Lina Licona, Westminster, Calif., 3-0

108 lbs/male: Kawelo Alcos, Waipahu, Hawaii, dec. Fernando Venegas, Stockton, Calif., 2-1

108 lbs/male: Dylan Price, Sicklerville, N.J., dec. Jovany Carrillo, Dallas, Texas, 3-0

112 lbs/female: Kristyn Juarez, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Jazzelle Bobadilla, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, 3-0

112 lbs/female: Caitlin Orosco, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Mikaila Gutierrez, Kemp, Texas, 2-1

114 lbs/male: Thomas Blumenfeld, Albany, N.Y., dec. Derek Ochoa, Sanger, Calif., 3-0

114 lbs/male: Shon Mondragon, Commerce City, Colo., dec. Aaron Perez, Albuquerque, N.M., 2-1

119 lbs/female: Jayda Thomas, Detroit, Mich., won on TKO over Katrina Nahe, Antioch, Calif., TKO-1

119 lbs/female: Melody Montes, Kissimmee, Fla., dec. Julieanne Munoz, El Centro, Calif., 3-0

123 lbs/male: Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, Ohio dec. Max Ornelas, Las Vegas, Nev., 2-1

123 lbs/male: Shakur Stevenson, Newark, N.J., dec. Victor Morales, Vancouver, Ore., 3-0

125 lbs/female: Melanie Gonzalez, Houston, Texas dec. Mikayla Saiz, Denver, Colo., 3-0

125 lbs/female: Destiny Jones, Austin, Texas dec. Michlle Morales, Chicago, Ill., 2-1

132 lbs/male: Andres Cortes, Henderson, Nev., dec. Carlos Nava, Pasadena, Texas, 3-0

132 lbs/male: Devin Haney, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Bryan Lua, Madera, Calif., 3-0

132 lbs/female: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., won on TKO over Audrey Morris, McKinney, Texas, TKO-1

132 lbs/female: Ariel Arismendez, Tolleson, Ariz., dec. Tatyana McCool, Chicago, Ill., 3-0

141 lbs/female: Adriana Ramirez, Stockton, Calif., dec. Avigail Narro, Grafton, Maryland, 2-1

141 lbs/male: Josue Vargas, Bronx, N.Y., dec. Noel Temores, Gilroy, Calif., 3-0

141 lbs/male: Jaron Ennis, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Aadam Ali, Teaneck, N.J., 3-0

152 lbs/male: Ferdinand Kerobyan, N. Hollywood, Calif., dec. Alias Aguilar, Orange, Calif., 3-0

152 lbs/male: Mark Dawson, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Saleem Kelly, Red Bank, N.J., 3-0

165 lbs/male: Charles Conwell, Cleveland, Ohio dec. Atif Oberlton, Philadelphia, Pa., TKO-2

165 lbs/male: Edgar Berlanga, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. John Escobedo, Dallas, Texas, 3-0

178 lbs/male: Manjaro Hills, Baker, La., dec. Austin Dulworth, Red Oak, Texas, 3-0

178 lbs/male: Miguel Teo, Marlboro, Mass., won on walkover over Suray Mahmutovic, Sacramento, Calif., W/O

201 lbs/male: Matthew Mollet, Port Orchard, Wash., won on TKO over Cross Beaulieu, Barnum, Minn., TKO-2

201 lbs/male: Rafael Gaitan, Forrest Hill, Texas dec. Joshua Juarez Laredo, Texas, 3-0

Junior Division

101 lbs/male: Jesse Rodriguez, San Antonio, Texas dec. Julian Newell, Oswego, Ill., 2-1

101 lbs/male: Abraham Perez, Albuquerque, N.M., dec. Sean Garcia, Adelanto, Calif., 3-0

106 lbs/female: Heaven Garcia, El Monte, Calif., won on TKO over Savannah Talbert, Augusta, Ga., TKO-2

106 lbs/male: Angel Martinez, Rockford, Ill., dec. Adrian Benton, Cincinnati, Ohio, 3-1

106 lbs/male: Gage Mendoza, Denver, Colo., dec. Robert Rodriguez, San Antonio, Texas, 2-1

110 lbs/male: Rey Diaz, N. Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Jose Perez, Arlington, Texas, 2-1

110 lbs/male: Angel Cordon, Martinez, Calif., dec. Josue Rosa, Philadelphia, Pa., 2-1

114 lbs/male: Otha Jones, Toledo, Ohio dec. Anthony Reyes, Coachella, Calif., 2-1

114 lbs/male: Rogelio Ortega, Pasadena, Texas dec. Keyshawn Davis, Norfolk, Va., 2-1

119 lbs/female: Jessica Juarez, San Diego, Calif., won on walkover over Gisselle Villareal, Houston, Texas

119 lbs/female: Yarisel Ramirez, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Lesly Soria, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0

119 lbs/male: Rodolfo Silva, Galena Park, Texas dec. Brian O’Shea, Yonkers, N.Y., 3-0

119 lbs/male: Marc Castro, Fresno, Calif., dec. Emmanuel Rojas, Fallon, Nev., 3-0

125 lbs/female: Zhane Crockett, Toledo, Ohio, dec. Andrea Medina, Bonita, Calif., 2-1

125 lbs/female: Diana Estrada, Hillsboro, Ore., dec. Vanessa Pericon, Las Vegas, Nev., 3-0

125 lbs/male: Gabriel Flores, Stockton, Calif., dec. Joseph Adorno, Allentown, Pa., 3-0

125 lbs/male: Rommel Caballero, Coachella, Calif., dec. Ameer Brown, Upper Marlboro, Md., 3-0

132 lbs/female: Lupe Gutierrez, Sacramento, Calif., dec. Jasmine Hernandez, National City, Calif., 3-0

138 lbs/male: Andres Borrego, Arvada, Colo., dec. Jojit Butay-Fillon, Sacramento, Calif., 3-0

138 lbs/male: Leon Lawson, Flint, Mich., dec. Joaquin Garcia, Dallas, Texas, 3-0

145 lbs/male: Brandun Lee, Coachella, Calif., dec. Joseph Sanchez, McKinney, Texas, 3-0

176+ lbs/male: Roland Lemus, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Elijah Green, Maryville, Miss., 2-1