By Michael J. Campbell
2008 USA Boxing Olympic Trials at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX.
Evening Session
Selected Fights report:
Flyweight: Rau’shee Warren over Aaron Alafa, 21-12… A match-up of two southpaws saw Warren chasing a retreating Alafa who preferred to fight on his back foot and wait to counterpunch when his opponent would lunge and miss with wide punches. Warren kept up the pressure and when he got inside would land quick combinations which decided the fight in his favor. Warren earns two days of rest while Alafa must battle tomorrow’s winner between Qa’id Muhammad and Bruno Escalante to get another shot at Warren in Saturday’s final.
Featherweight: Raynell Williams over Hylon Williams, Jr., 17-16… This battle of the Williamses replayed the 2007 Golden Gloves and U.S. Championships finals. The familiarity these two are gaining with each other was evident as the match began with each stalking the other. Hylon, aka Ced, stood in the center of the ring while Raynell circled the outside utilizing his long arms to land from distance. When at close range, Ced landed counterpunches in this highly competitive bout. With one foot seemingly never leaving the USA Boxing logo in the ring center, Ced stepped in the direction of Raynell’s circle and threw hooks to halt his escape. Ced tried sharp head movements and his quick hands to penetrate Raynell’s tight defense. The match really intensified mid-way with both sides knowing the score was near even. Each threw four and five punch combinations with lightening speed followed by Raynell attempting to tie up while Ced tried to break free and continue throwing. Raynell had a strong finish to pull very slightly ahead and eke out the decision to advance to Saturday. Hylon must defeat the winner of tomorrows match between Rico Ramos and Shemuel Pagan in order to force a fourth Williams-Williams encounter.
Middleweight: Shawn Estrada – Daniel Jacobs, 13-13 (33-23)… The 1st two rounds were fought at a methodical pace without many punches landing. Estrada stood in the center and Jacobs circled looking for openings. Then things turned crazy. Estrada left his corner without his mouthpiece. His corner apparently entered the ring to gain the referee’s attention who seemingly immediately called for a disqualification. Jacobs corner then entered the ring and removed his headgear. The referee then sent Estrada to get his rinsed mouthpiece and after having Jacobs put his headgear back on, signaled for the action to continue. Estrada then fouled by pushing his fist under up under Jacobs chin and pushing him to the ropes. Then Estrada loses his mouthpiece and gets docked a point. After that the bout turned into a brawl with gloves and elbows flying in all directions. With a clear sense of urgency Jacobs lands some decisive blows to end the bout and pull even in the scoring. The confusing incident and referee’s unclear judgments and lack of controlling the situation have resulted in a grievance being filed and hearing being held after tonight’s bouts are completed. The loser of this bout faces the winner of tomorrows match between Dominic Wade and Shawn Porter.
Middleweight: Shawn Porter over Fernando Guerrero, 22-19… The top two seeds and faced each other in this challenger’s bracket elimination match in a rematch of the U.S. Championships final. Both are pressure fighters who throw bombs and it made for an exciting contest. Porter scored two standing eight counts, but Guerrero was able to keep the score close throughout the spirited contest. Guerrero did too much head hunting while Porter showed good punch variation and some especially nice uppercuts. Porter also showed he has a good motor in keeping up the pressure till the end of the bout to pull out the victory and keep his Olympic dreams alive.
Heavyweight: Deontay Wilder over Quantis Graves, 11-9… Wilder’s huge reach and height swayed Graves to stay at a distance to start the bout. When they came close the exchanges were fast and furious. Both were deducted points for continuing the action after the referee’s command to stop. Wilder made his punches count in keeping a slight advantage and eke out the victory. Graves now will face the winner of tomorrows match between David Carey and Adam Willet to decide Wilder’s opponent in Saturday’s final match.
Complete results from USABoxing.org
Evening Bouts -- August 22
112 lbs/winners bracket: Rau'shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio, dec. Aaron Alafa, Visalia, Calif., 21-12
112 lbs/challengers: Bruno Escalante, Waimanalo, Hawaii/NMU, dec. Juan Leija, Alvin, Texas, 26-20
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Qa'id Muhammad, Atlantic City, N.J., dec. David Gaspar, Wilmington, Calif., 44-28
125 lbs/winners bracket: Raynell Williams, Cleveland, Ohio, dec. Hylon Williams, Jr., Houston, Texas, 17-16
125 lbs/challengers bracket: Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont., 16-8
125 lbs/challengers bracket: Shemuel Pagan, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Troy Wohosky, Medford, Ore., 17-10
141 lbs/winners bracket: Javier Molina, Commerce, Calif., dec. Dan O'Connor, Framingham, Mass., 18-10
141 lbs/challengers bracket: Danny Garcia, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Michael Dallas, Bakersfield, Calif., 29-21
141 lbs/challengers bracket: Jeremy Bryan, Clifton, N.J., dec. Andre Sherard, Milwaukee, Wisc., 7-3
165 lbs/winners bracket: Shawn Estrada, Downey, Calif. dec. Daniel Jacobs, Brooklyn, N.Y., 13-13 (33-23)
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, dec. Fernando Guerrero, Salisbury, Md., 22-19
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Dominic Wade, Largo, Md. stopped Zach Hardrick, Fort Carson, Colo., RSCO-3 (0:45)
201 lbs/winners bracket: Deontay Wilder, Tuscaloosa, Ala., dec. Quantis Graves, Cut Off, La., 11-7
201 lbs/challengers bracket: David Carey, Anchorage, Alaska, dec. Joe Guzman, Fort Carson, Colo., 23-11
201 lbs/challengers bracket: Adam Willett, Bellport, N.Y. dec. Anthony Tettis, Ridgeway, Pa., 20-5
Afternoon Session
Selected Fights report:
Light Flyweight: Luis Yanez over Diego Hurtado, 26-6… Yanez continued romping through his domestic competition earning a spot in Saturday’s finals. The Pan Am games Gold medalist landed the bigger punches while Hurtado attempted to use tight defense and counterpunching to gain advantage. A close fight early saw Yanez pull ahead midway and cruise to victory. Yanez now gets two days off while Hurtado must defeat the winner of tomorrow’s match between Malcolm Franklin and Robert Ceron in order to face Yanez on Saturday.
Bantamweight: Roberto Marroquin over Ronny Rios, 30-27… Marroquin had a nice crowd contingent supporting him for this bout versus Rios creating an exciting atmosphere. The fighters obliged and began the bout at a fast pace. It was a back and forth bout with both fighters landing multiple punches in their exchanges. Marroquin wanted to mix it up more, whereas Rios tried to land punches and withdraw before getting countered. Marroquin had a slight edge early, but Rios controlled the 2nd round. Entering the final stanza, the score was tied and they lined up in front of one another and began wailing punches. Marroquin scored a slight edge and moves on to the final. Rios awaits tomorrow’s winner between Gary Russell and Sergio Perales.
Lightweight: Sadam Ali over Jerry Belmontes, 32-23… Belmontes defeated Ali 13-12 in the semi-finals of the U.S. Championships and Ali relished the chance to avenge the loss. The action began at a very cautious pace with Ali keeping his gloves up high and both awaiting the other’s movements. By the second round Ali was landing right hands at will and almost always landing the first punch in their exchanges. Belmontes turned up the aggression in the fourth, trying to make close in on Ali’s lead, but the NY kid held tough and pulled out the victory. Ali moves to Saturday’s final while Belmontes awaits the winner of Terrence Crawford versus Miguel Gonzalez.
Middleweight: Demetrius Andrade over Keith Thurman, 27-13… Pan Am games silver medalist Andrade displayed his experience in defeating the hard punching Thurman. Thurman had blown away his early competition with strong hooks and body attack. Andrade respected this and came out in a tight defense and utilized ducking and diving to avoid getting hit. Making Thurman miss big haymakers took a lot of steam out of the big hitter who tired late in the fight as Andrade cruised to a comfortable lead and victory. On Friday, Thurman will face tomorrow’s winner between Charles Hatley and Boyd Melson for the right to fight Andrade in the finals.
Light Heavyweight: Christopher Downs over Yathomas Riley, 11-9… The bout began with the classic feeling out process as neither did much early in the fight. Downs dealt with Riley’s attack by measuring his jab and circling the perimeter of the ring. Riley has a big punch that he’s used to score some impressive stoppages and Downs dealt with it by tying him up whenever they got close.
Complete results from USABoxing.org
Afternoon Bouts -- August 22
106 lbs/winners bracket: Yanez, Duncanville, Texas, dec. Diego Hurtado, Reno, Nev., 26-6
106 lbs/challengers bracket: Malcom Franklin, Rialto, Calif., dec. Daniel Lozano, Bowling Green, Fla., 23-20
106 lbs/challengers bracket: Roberto Ceron, Doraville, Ga., dec. Jerail Singleton, St. Louis, Mo., 18-15
119 lbs/winners bracket: Roberto Marroquin, Dallas, Texas, dec. Ronny Rios, Santa Ana, Calif., 30-27
119 lbs/challengers bracket: Garry Russell, Jr., Capitol Heights, Md. won on walkover over Sammy Dipace, Las Cruces, N.M., W/O
119 lbs/challengers bracket: Sergio Perales, Los Fresnos, Texas, dec. Jessy Cruz, Miami, Fla., 21-6
132 lbs/winners bracket: Sadam Ali, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Jerry Belmontes, Corpus Christi, Texas, 32-23
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Terence Crawford, Omaha, Neb., dec. Mason Menard, Rayne, La., 33-12
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Miguel Gonzalez, Celveland, Ohio, dec. Antton Slaughter, Columbus, Ohio, 24-10
152 lbs/winners bracket: Demetrius Andrade, Providence, R.I., dec. Keith Thurman, St. Petersburg, Fla., 27-13
152 lbs/challengers bracket: Charles Hatley, Dallas, Texas, stopped Mahlon Kerwick, Fort Carson, Colo., RSC-4 (1:30)
152 lbs/challengers bracket: Boyd Melson, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Anthony Campbell, Covington, Tenn., 13-13 (28-27)
178 lbs/winners bracket: Christopher Downs, Fort Carson, Colo. dec. Yathomas Riley, San Diego, Calif., 11-9
178 lbs/challengers bracket: Angel Concepcion, East Orange, N.J., dec. Siju Shabazz, Las Cruces, N.M., 25-11
178 lbs/challengers bracket: Cymone Kearney, Oakland, Calif. stopped DeRae Crane, Davenport, Iowa/NMU, RSCH-1 (1:24)
201+ lbs/winners bracket: Michael Hunter, Las Vegas, Nev. dec. Kimdo Bethel, Albany, N.Y., 16-6
201+ lbs/challengers bracket: Andrew Shepherd, Fort Carson, Colo. dec. Lenroy Thompson, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 8-8 (18-17)
201+ lbs/challengers bracket: Mike Wilson, Central Point, Ore. dec. Nate James, Malden, Mass./NMU, 20-17
