(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – A week full of elite amateur boxing action will culminate with final round action at the 2011 National Golden Gloves Championships on Saturday. Twenty boxers earned berths in the championship round with victories in Friday’s competition at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Saturday night’s 20 championship bout competitors include reigning and former champions as well as newcomers to the Golden Gloves finals. With numerous legitimate hopefuls highlighting the bout sheet, Saturday’s event promises numerous outstanding match-ups.
Several boxers continued their strong showings in Indianapolis on Saturday night. Heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) moved another step closer to his first Golden Gloves title, recording his fourth straight stoppage victory of the tournament. Light heavyweight Jerry Odom (Bowie, Md.) extended his stoppage streak as well, defeating Julius Butler (St. Louis, Mo.) in the second round of their semifinal contest.
The middleweight championship bout is sure to be an exciting contest as Daquan Arnett (Orlando, Fla.) and Jesse Hart (Philadelphia, Pa.) face off in a rematch of their 2010 USA Boxing National Championships semifinal bout. Arnett will look to avenge his loss to Hart in their second battle.
A full list of Saturday’s championship bouts is attached, and final action will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Indiana Convention Center.
Friday’s Semifinal Results
108 lbs: Oscar Mojica, Texas dec. Norberto Torres, Florida
108 lbs: Santos Vasquez, Nevada dec. David Carlton, Cincinnati
114 lbs: Louie Byrd, Colorado-New Mexico dec. Juan Roman, New York Metro
114 lbs: Stephon Young, St. Louis dec. Shawn Simpson, Chicago
123 lbs: Antonio Nieves, Cleveland dec. Edwin Sandoval, California
123 lbs: Tramaine Williams, New England dec. Demetrius Johnson, St. Louis
132 lbs: Louis Cruz, New York Metro stopped Adam Castillo, Texas, RSC-1
132 lbs: Erick DeLeon, Detroit dec. Kenneth Sims Jr., Chicago
141 lbs: Michael Reed, Washington DC dec. Cristino Ceballo, New York Metro
141 lbs: George Rincon, Texas dec. Robert Easter Jr., Toledo
152 lbs: Alex Martin, Chicago dec. Cesar Villa, Texas
152 lbs: Arturo Trujillo, Pennsylvania dec. Tony Harrison, Detroit
165 lbs: Daquan Arnett, Florida dec. Martez Jackson, Knoxville
165 lbs: Jesse Hart, Pennsylvania dec. Antoine Douglas, Washington DC
178 lbs: Jerry Odom, Washington DC stopped Julius Butler, St. Louis, RSC-2
178 lbs: Caleb Plant, Knoxville dec. Cory Richards, Texas
201 lbs: Michael Hunter, Colorado-New Mexico stopped James Shorter-Indiana, RSC-2
201 lbs: Robert Jekabson, Chicago dec. Jordan Shimmell, Michigan
201+ lbs: Donavan Dennis, Iowa dec. Brian Houston, Omaha
201+ lbs: Cam Thompson, Kansas City dec. Jonathan Hamm, Upper Midwest
* Please note that the geographical descriptors following the athlete names note the boxers’ Golden Gloves franchises rather than the hometowns