(JAN 25)
(SPOKANE, WASH.) – The 2015 USA
Boxing Elite National Championships concluded with 20 final
round bouts at Northern Quest’s Pend Oreile Pavilion on
Saturday. The championship bouts held special importance for the
elite men with the 10 gold medalists earning Olympic Trials
berths. All six finalists in the women’s Olympic weight
divisions clinched their Olympic Trials berths with semifinal
victories on Friday.
For the third straight year, 2012
Olympic bronze medalist and 2014 World Champion Marlen
Esparza (Houston,
Texas) and two-time USA Boxing National Championships silver
medalist Virginia
Fuchs (Kemah,
Texas) battled for flyweight gold at Northern Quest.
As usual, the two boxers
entertained the crowd with an exciting bout and both pugilists
enjoyed strong crowd support. Yet there could only be one
champion and Esparza took her record-breaking ninth USA Boxing
national championship with a 3-0 decision over Fuchs. Esparza
also received the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament award for
her record-breaking performance. Both boxers clinched Olympic
Trials berth with top two finishes in the tournament.
The male flyweights put on a show
as well in their championship bout at the Pend Oreile Pavilion.
2013 youth national champion Antonio
Vargas (Kissimmee,
Fla.) took his first elite division crown with another strong
performance in flyweight competition. Vargas defeated Khalid
Twaiti (Brooklyn,
N.Y.) on a unanimous decision to win gold and a berth in the
U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
The lightweights took center
stage in the next two bouts in Spokane. 2012 USA Boxing national
champion Mikaela
Mayer (Los
Angeles, Calif.) claimed gold in the lightweight division in
tonight’s action at Northern Quest. Mayer took a unanimous
decision win over fellow California native Lisa
Porter (Van
Nuys, Calif.) to take the title. Both Mayer and Porter will be
competing in their second straight Olympic Trials.
Another boxer fresh out of the
youth division won gold in his first elite division tournament
in the men’s lightweight division. Hector
Tanajara (San
Antonio, Texas) and defending champion Genaro
Gamez (San
Diego, Calif.) both stepped in to their ring for their fifth
bout of the week on Saturday night. With both boxers’ fathers
advising them in the corner, the two battled it out for the
lightweight crown. It was youth winning over experience in the
match-up as Tanajara won a unanimous decision victory to clinch
a berth in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
In contrast to a first-time
national champion, 2012 Olympian Queen
Underwood (Seattle,
Wash.) won her eighth USA Boxing National title in the women’s
light welterweight division. She took on Nakarri
Jones (Tampa,
Fla.) in her first light welterweight championship bout in
several years. Underwood’s experience advantage was evident
through the bout, leading to a TKO at the 1:00 mark of the
fourth round and another gold medal for Underwood.
Neither men’s welterweight
finalist had advanced to the gold medal bout in a USA Boxing
National Championships previously, but Ardreal
Holmes (Flint,
Mich.) didn’t stop with just a final round berth. He took it one
step further on Saturday night. Holmes earned a 3-0 decision
over VeShawn
Owens (St.
Louis Park, Minn.) to win gold and punch his ticket for the
Olympic Trials.
Flint enjoyed more success in the
women’s middleweight bout between 2012 Olympic gold medalist and
2014 World Champion Claressa
Shields (Flint,
Mich.) and 2012 World Championships silver medalist Raquel
Miller (San
Diego, Calif.). The two familiar foes battled for four strong
rounds before Shields won a 2-1 victory for her second straight
USA Boxing National Championship. Both Shields and Miller will
make a return performance at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.
In men’s light heavyweight
competition, WSB and World Championship Team Trials silver
medalist Julio
Perez Campusano (Roxbury,
Mass.) competed in his second straight national tournament
finale. He will return home with silver once again following a
split decision win by Edward
Ortiz (San
Antonio, Texas) in their championship round bout. Ortiz takes
home the gold medal as well as clinching an Olympic Trials
berth.
A third former youth champion won
gold in the super heavyweight finale. 2014 Youth World Champion
and Youth Olympic silver medalist Darmani
Rock (Philadelphia,
Pa.) closed his successful transition to the elite division with
a unanimous decision over Marlo
Moore (Hayward,
Calif.) in their final round contest.
Spokane’s own version of Rocky
closed the night and the event in yet another fan-friendly
contest. Patrick
Ferguson (Spokane,
Wash.) entered his first national tournament with only 10 bouts
of experience but that didn’t stop the hard-charging boxer from
knocking off opponent after opponent. He defeated 2014 silver
medalist Sardius
Simmons (Flint,
Mich.) in quarterfinal competition and recorded a TKO in his
semifinal contest to move on to Saturday’s finals. With a full
pavilion packed with Ferguson supporters, he closed his run at
the gold with a unanimous decision win over Vardan
Khachatrian (Los
Angeles, Calif.) as his fans roar nearly drowned out the sound
of the final bell. Yet his amazing week didn’t end with a gold
medal and Olympic Trials berth, he also received the Outstanding
Boxer of the Tournament win for his improbable gold medal
performance.
Two light flyweight bouts kicked
off final round action on Saturday afternoon and Maureeca
Lambert (Glen
Ellyn, Ill.) opened the show with a strong performance in her
championship match-up with Brittany
Delgado (Center
Moriches, N.Y.). Lambert stopped Delgado in the third round of
their 106-pound bout to take the first gold medal of the
tournament.
In men’s light flyweight action, Melik
Elliston (Denver,
Colo.) clinched a berth in his first Olympic Team Trials with a
victory over Pablo
Ramirez (Weslaco,
Texas). Elliston defeated Ramirez by a 3-0 margin to take the
light flyweight championship.
It was a familiar face taking
gold in the women’s bantamweight division. Christina
Cruz (New
York, N.Y.) won the bantamweight title for the third straight
year, earning a TKO victory over Jennifer
Chieng (Brooklyn,
N.Y.) in their Big Apple showdown.
A second straight New York City
boxer claimed gold in the men’s bantamweight division. Christopher
Colbert (Brooklyn,
N.Y.) won his first USA Boxing National Championship as well as
a berth in the Olympic Trials with a 2-1 win over Rudy
Garcia (Los
Angeles, Calif.) in the fourth bout of the day.
2012 World Champion and 2014
World Championships bronze medalist Tiara
Brown (Fort
Myers, Fla.) defended her featherweight national title in final
round action with Ashleigh
Moore (Buzzards,
Mass.). Brown boxed her way to a unanimous decision victory in
the featherweight title bout to once again claim gold.
The men’s light welterweight
division featured the first 2015 men’s national champion
returning to Olympic Trials action in 2016. Luis
Feliciano (Milwaukee,
Wis.) competed in the 2012 qualifying event but after suffering
a shoulder injury, underwent major surgery before returning to
boxing action in 2014. He won his first USA Boxing national
title with a unanimous decision win over Eduardo
Garcia (Houston,
Texas) on Saturday afternoon.
Welterweight Danyelle
Wolf (San
Diego, Calif.) won her third straight national championship in a
hard fought bout with 2013 youth national champion Samantha
Kinchen (Lexington,
Ky.). Wolf took a split decision victory over Kinchen to
successfully defend her title.
It was a different story in the
men’s middleweight division where two-time national champion Leshawn
Rodriquez (Medford,
N.Y.) took on 2014 USA Boxing National Championships
welterweight silver medalist Chordelle
Booker (Brooklyn,
N.Y.). The two battled in an extremely close bout, but at the
end of three rounds, an emotional Booker won a 2-1 decision for
his USA Boxing national championship and a berth in the 2016
Olympic Trials.
Two women’s bouts in the light
heavyweight and heavyweight divisions closed the early session
at Northern Quest. Multi-time national champion Franchon
Crews (Baltimore,
Md.) racked up another title with the 2015 crown coming in the
light heavyweight division. Crews defeated 2014 USA Boxing
National Championships silver medalist Heidi
Henriksen (St.
Louis Park, Minn.) by a 3-0 score to win gold.
A first-time USA Boxing national
champion won the final gold medal of early action. Shadasia
Green (Paterson,
N.J.) defeated reigning titlist Krystal
Dixon (New
Rochelle, N.Y.) by unanimous decision to claim the heavyweight
championship.
There will be three more Olympic
Trials qualifying events for the elite men and two more for the
elite women with the locations and dates currently being
confirmed. More information on those tournaments will be
released as soon as it is available.
Saturday’s Championship Bout
Results
106 lbs/female: Maureeca Lambert,
Glen Ellyn, Ill., won on TKO over Brittany Delgado, Center
Moriches, N.Y., TKO-3 (1:54)
108 lbs/male: Melik Elliston, Denver, Colo., dec. Pablo Ramirez,
Weslaco, Texas, 3-0
112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Virginia
Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, 3-0
114 lbs/male: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla., dec. Khalid
Twaiti, Denver, Colo., 3-0
119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., won on TKO over
Jennifer Chieng, Brooklyn, N.Y., TKO
123 lbs/male: Christopher Colbert, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Rudy
Garcia, Los Angeles, Calif., 2-1
125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., dec. Ashleigh
Moore, Buzzards, Mass., 3-0
132 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Lisa
Porter, Van Nuys, Calif., 3-0
132 lbs/male: Hector Tanajara, San Antonio, Texas dec. Genaro
Gamez, San Diego, Calif., 3-0
141 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., won on TKO over
Nakarri Jones, Tampa, Fla., TKO-4 (1:00)
141 lbs/male: Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. Eduardo
Garcia, Houston, Texas, 3-0
152 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Samantha
Kinchen, Lexington, Ky., 2-1
152 lbs/male: Ardreal Holmes, Flint, Mich., dec. VeShawn Owens,
St. Louis Park, Minn., 3-0
165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Raquel
Miller, San Diego, Calif., 2-1
165 lbs/male: Chordelle Booker, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Leshawn
Rodriquez, Medford, N.Y., 2-1
178 lbs/female: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec. Heidi
Henriksen, St. Louis Park, Minn., 3-0
178 lbs/male: Edward Ortiz, San Antonio, Texas dec Julio Perez
Campusano, Roxbury, Mass., 2-1
178+ lbs/female: Shadasia Green, Paterson, N.J., dec. Krystal
Dixon, New Rochelle, N.Y., 3-0
201 lbs/male: Patrick Ferguson, Spokane, Wash., dec. Vardan
Khachatrian, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0
201+ lbs/male: Darmani Rock, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Marlo
Moore, Hayward, Calif., 3-0
