(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) – Twenty of the nation’s top amateur boxers earned spots in the championship round at the 2010 National Golden Gloves in Little Rock, Ark., on Friday night at the Statehouse Convention Center. Two semifinal bouts were contested in each of the ten weight divisions with the two victors advancing on to the finals. 

Semifinal action opened with light flyweight action and defending champion Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) clinched a spot in the finals with a 5-0 victory over Oscar Mojica (Dallas, Texas). Byrd will face Santos Vasquez (Sun Valley, Nev.) in the light flyweight championship bout. Vasquez won a 4-1 victory over Carlos Suarez (Lima, Ohio) in his semifinal contest to move on to the final round.

Two-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) owns just about every title on the books, including a World Championship, but he is competing in his first National Golden Gloves in Little Rock. Warren continued his run through the tournament with a 5-0 victory over Leroy Davila (Linden, N.J.) in semifinal action. He moves on to the championship bout, where he will take on Gary Antonio Russell (Capitol Heights, Md.), the younger brother of Warren’s 2008 Olympic teammate Gary Russell, Jr. The elder Russell and Warren enjoyed their share of battles as youngsters, facing off when Warren was just nine-years-old.

In featherweight action, James Smith (Detroit, Mich.) and Toka Kahn-Clary (Providence, R.I.) both punched their tickets for the finals with semifinal wins. Smith earned a 5-0 decision over former Golden Gloves champion Ernesto Garza (Saginaw, Mich.) and Kahn-Clary won a 3-2 split decision over National PAL Champion Victor Pasillas (E. Los Angeles, Calif.) to move on to the championship round.

Defending champion Erick Deleon (Detroit, Mich.) continued his winning streak with a 4-1 victory over reigning USA Boxing National Champion Duran Caferro (Helena, Mont.). Deleon will battle Damon Allen (Philadelphia, Pa.) in final round action following Allen’s 3-2 semifinal win over Raeese Aleem (Muskegon, Mich.).

A second Russell brother claimed a semifinal victory in the light welterweight division as Gary Allen Russell III (Capitol Heights, Md.) won a 5-0 decision over Robert Easter, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio) in Friday’s competition. Russell moves on to the finals where he will battle Mohamed Adam (Dearborn, Mich.). Adam won a 4-1 split decision over Joshua Conley (San Bernadino, Calif.) in his semifinal match-up.

Current national champion Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) will attempt to defend his crown in Saturday’s final round competition against David Grayton (Washington D.C.). Spence won a 5-0 decision in his semifinal bout with Javonn Barnes (Muskegon, Mich.) to move on to the finals while Grayton won a 4-1 victory over Leandre White (Detroit, Mich.).

Number one middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) pulled out a second straight close decision in semifinal action, winning a 4-1 decision over D’Mitrius Ballard (Temple Hills, Md.) to advance to the championship bout where he will meet Ronald Ellis (Lynn, Mass.). Ellis claimed a 3-2 victory over Antone Pereira (Waianae, Hawaii) in their semifinal contest to move on to the final round.

The list of national champions moving onto final round action grew in the light heavyweight division with Robert Brant (Oakdale, Minn.) earning a berth in the championship bout. Brant won a highly-contested bout with Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.) by a 4-1 margin in their semifinal match-up. He will take on Khalib Whitmore (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the finals. Whitmore won a unanimous 5-0 decision over Craig Duncan (Apopka, Fla.) to earn a spot in the finals.

2009 USA Boxing National Champion Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) continued the winning streak into heavyweight action, earning a 4-1 victory over Robert Jekabson (Chicago, Ill.). Shimmell will meet Steve Geffrard (Boca Raton, Fla.) in the finals following Geffrard’s 4-1 victory over Andrew Tabiti (Las Vegas, Nev.) in their semifinal match-up.

The super heavyweights closed the show with Roberto Morban (Bronx, N.Y.) and Lenroy Thompson (Lenexa, Kansas) winning the final two spots in the championship round. Morban won a 5-0 decision over Dustin Enriquez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) while Thompson claimed a 5-0 victory over his own over Craig Lewis (Detroit, Mich.).  

Ten new national champions will be crowned on Saturday night when the 2010 National Golden Gloves finals are contested at 7 p.m. on Saturday night at the Statehouse Convention Center.

Friday, May 7 - Semifinal Results

108 lbs:
Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo. – Colorado-New Mexico dec. Oscar Mojica, Dallas, Texas – Texas, 5-0
Santos Vasquez, Sun Valley, Nev. – Nevada dec. Carlos Suarez, Lima, Ohio – Toledo, 4-1

114 lbs:
Rau’shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio – Cincinnati dec. Leroy Davila, Linden, New Jersey – New Jersey, 5-0
Gary Antonio Russell, Capitol Heights, Md. – Washington DC dec. Hector Colon, Orlando, Fla. – Florida, 3-2

123 lbs:
James Smith, Detroit, Mich. – Detroit dec. Ernesto Garza, Saginaw, Mich. – Michigan, 5-0
Toka Kahn-Clary, Providence, R.I. – New England dec. Victor Pasillas, E. Los Angeles, Calif. – California, 3-2

132 lbs:
Erick Deleon, Lincoln Park, Mich. – Detroit dec. Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont. – Rocky Mountain, 4-1
Damon Allen, Philadelphia, Pa. – Pennsylvania dec. Raeese Aleem, Muskegon, Mich. – Michigan, 3-2

141 lbs:
Mohamed Adam, Dearborn, Mich. – Detroit dec. Joshua Conley, San Bernadino, Calif. – California, 4-1
Gary Allen Russell III, Capitol Heights, Md. – Washington DC dec. Robert Easter, Jr., Toledo, Ohio – Toledo, 5-0

152 lbs:
Errol Spence, Desoto, Texas – Texas dec. Javonn Barnes, Muskegon, Mich. – Michigan, 5-0
David Grayton, Washington D.C. – Washington DC dec. dec. Leandre White, Detroit, Mich. – Detroit, 4-1

165 lbs:
Terrell Gausha, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland dec. D’Mitrius Ballard, Temple Hills, Md. – Washington DC, 4-1
Ronald Ellis, Lynn, Mass. – New England dec. Antone Pereira, Waianae, Hawaii – Hawaii, 3-2

178 lbs:
Robert Brant, Oakdale, Minn. – Upper Midwest dec. Marcus Browne, Staten Island, N.Y. – New York Metro, 4-1
Khalib Whitmore, Philadelphia, Pa. – Pennsylvania dec. Craig Duncan , Apopka, Fla. – Florida, 5-0

201 lbs:

Jordan Shimmell – Hudsonville, Mich. – Michigan dec. Robert Jekabson, Chicago, Ill. – Chicago, 4-1
Steve Geffrard, Boca Raton, Fla. – Florida dec. Andrew Tabiti, Las Vegas, Nev. – Nevada, 4-1

201+ lbs:

Lenroy Thompson, Lenexa, Kansas – Kansas City dec. Craig Lewis, Detroit, Mich. – Detroit, 5-0
Roberto Morban, Bronx, N.Y. – New York Metro dec. Dustin Enriquez, Pico Rivera, Calif. – California,  5-0