COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Today’s quarterfinal bouts at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships held a critical new importance, and the intensity of the boxers’ performance echoed the large stakes. All of today’s victors in the 13 Olympic weight classes earn berths in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with this week’s event being the first-ever to serve as an Olympic Trials qualifier for both men and women. 

All eyes were on the women’s lightweight division in the afternoon as two four-time national champions faced off for a berth in the semifinals. Current number one lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) entered her bout with former titlist Caroline Barry (Boulder, Colo.) fresh off two straight stoppages, but Barry provided a whole new challenge for the 2010 Women’s World Championships bronze medalist. The tremendous ring experience didn’t end with the boxers as both competitors had the advantage of former Olympic head coaches giving them instructions between rounds. 2000 Olympic Coach Tom Mustin worked the corner of Underwood while 2004 Olympic Head Coach Basheer Abdullah guided Barry. Despite the intense anticipation, the bout more than exceeded expectations. After a tied first round, Barry claimed a 5-4 lead at the midway mark of the bout. The tremendous skill level was evident throughout the four rounds and it Underwood holding a 7-6 lead with one round remaining. The tension in the gym was palpable as the two boxers battled it out over the final two minutes. Yet only one hand could be raised and it was Underwood who took the victory, winning a 14-10 final decision to move one step closer to her fifth straight national title. Barry will have two more opportunities to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Women’s Golden Gloves and National PAL Championships. Underwood will face N’yteeyah Sherman (Barberton, Ohio) in the semifinals on Thursday.

The afternoon session got off to a quick start as three-time national champion Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) made his event debut against Erros Correa (San Jose, Calif.). Correa wasn’t intimidated by his credentialed opponent and moved out to an 8-4 lead after one right. Yet Byrd, who was battling a cold, pulled the bout to a 14-14 as the action moved into the final round. The third round ended with the two deadlocked at 21 as well, but Byrd pulled out the victory on his 98-91 total punch count advantage. Byrd moves on to the semifinals with the win and will take on Norberto Torres (Orlando, Fla.) in Thursday’s semifinal action.

Two Washington DC area natives claimed quarterfinal victories in the light welterweight division on Wednesday afternoon. 2010 National Golden Gloves champion Gary Allen Russell III (Capitol Heights, Md.) earned a berth in the U.S. Olympic Trials in an action-packed match-up with Abel Ramos (Eloy, Ariz.). The two boxers threw punches from bell to bell, and the score reflected it. Russell held a 15-9 advantage after one and took a 24-19 lead into the final round. The third round showcased Olympic-style boxing at its best as Russell and Ramos went toe-to-toe, lighting up the scoreboard with Russell taking the win on a 40-32 final tally. He will look to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Gary Russell, Jr., the bantamweight representative on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team when he competes in Mobile.

On the opposite side of the bracket, 2011 National Golden Gloves champion Michael Reed, Jr. (Waldorf, Md.) continued his winning streak with a convincing 24-12 victory over Manuel Lopez, Jr. (Centennial, Colo.). Reed will challenge Semajay Thomas (Chicago, Ill.) on Thursday for a spot in the light welterweight finals.

In middleweight action, Chris Pearson (Trotwood, Ohio) claimed his U.S. Olympic Team Trials berth in Wednesday’s quarterfinals with a 21-14 win over Noel Godson (Bloomfield, N.J.). Pearson is coming off a win over defending Olympic champion Bakhyt Sarsekbayev in World Series of Boxing action in the spring. Pearson’s win advanced him on to the semifinals and a match-up with Antoine Douglas (Burke, Va.) on Thursday.

Several top heavyweights battled for Olympic Trials berths at the end of the afternoon and the final bout of the session featured a showdown between 2009 National Champion Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) and former USA Boxing National Team member Javonta Charles (Memphis, Tenn.). Shimmell claimed the victory by an 18-12 margin to move on to a semifinal contest with James Shorter (Elkhart, Ind.).

Quarterfinal action will resume with 35 bouts at 6 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Christian School.

Wednesday Afternoon Session

Quarterfinal Bouts

106 lbs/female: Elizabeth Rodriguez, Gilroy, Calif., won on walkover over, Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., W/O

108 lbs/male: Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo., dec. Eros Correa, San Jose, Calif., 21-21 (98-91)

108 lbs/male: David Carlton, Cincinnati, Ohio, dec. Michael Benedosso, Colorado Springs, Colo., 32-26

108 lbs/male: Norberto Torres, Orlando, Fla., dec. Marco Rangel, St. George, Utah, 22-18

108 lbs/male: Gregory Outlaw, Glenarden, Md., dec. Anthony Taylor, Jackson, Tenn., 28-17

119 lbs/female: Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., dec. Shanice Herron, St. Louis, Mo., 32-7

119 lbs/female: Nephateria Miller, New Haven, Conn., won on retirement over, Tiffany Griffin, Chicago, Ill., RET-4 (0:00)

119 lbs/female: Lindsay Bartels, Omaha, Neb., stopped Bryonna Sumandig, Tacoma, Wash., RSC-4 (1:47)

119 lbs/female: Haley Pasion, Waipahu, Hawaii, dec. Shanne Ruelas, Fresno, Calif., 26-19

123 lbs/male: Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. Joshua McShane, Waianae, Hawaii 26-8

123 lbs/male: Antonio Nieves, Phoenix, Ariz., dec. Edwin Sandoval, Bakersfield, Calif., 11-9

123 lbs/male: Joet Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec. Dennis Galarza, Orlando, Fla., 29-9

123 lbs/male: Joseph Diaz Jr., El Monte, Calif., dec. Corey Hill, Portland, Ore., 11-8

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Caroline Barry, Boulder, Colo., 14-10

132 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., 23-8

132 lbs/female: N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, won on retirement over, Jayli Fimbres, Newton, N.D., RET-4 (0:00)

132 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif., dec. Jesse Owens, Virginia Beach, Va. 27-9

141 lbs/male: Gary Allen Russell III, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Abel Ramos, Eloy, Ariz., 40-32

141 lbs/male: Semajay Thomas, Chicago, Ill., stopped Jamal Herring, Camp Lejeune, N.C., RSC-3 (2:14)

141 lbs/male: Thomas Duquette, Waltham, Mass., dec. Andre Keys, Tacoma, Wash., 13-9

141 lbs/male: Michael Reed, Waldorf, Md., dec. Manuel Lopez Jr., Centennial, Colo., 24-12

165 lbs/male: Edgar Alvarado Jr., San Bernardino, Calif., dec. Izaak Cardona, Colorado Springs, Colo., 16-15

165 lbs/male: Chris Pearson, Trotwood, Ohio, dec. Noel Godson, Bloomfield, N.J., 21-14

165 lbs/male: Antoine Douglas, Burke, Va., dec. Andre Penn, Rapid City, S.D., 17-11

165 lbs/male: Martez Jackson, Valdosta, Ga., dec. Damarius Russell, Camp Lejeune, N.C., 19-17

201 lbs/male: Joseph Williams, Far Rockaway, N.Y., dec. Robert Hall Jr., Jackson, Tenn., 13-5

201 lbs/male: Andrew Tabiti, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Marco Figueroa, Orlando, Fla., 17-10

201 lbs/male: James Shorter, Elkhart, Ind., dec. Joshua Temple, St Louis, Mo., 20-19

201 lbs/male: Jordan Shimmell, Hudsonville, Ohio, dec. Javonte Charles, Memphis, Tenn., 18-12