COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – Quarterfinal action concluded with 35 bouts of Olympic-style boxing action on Thursday evening at the Colorado Springs Christian School in Colorado Springs, Colo. Twenty-eight of the 35 victors were competitors in the 13 Olympic-style weight and therefore earned U.S. Olympic Team Trials spots with their wins in Wednesday’s action.
The United States’ Army’s John Franklin (Fort Carson, Colo.) once again advanced to the semifinal round of the USA Boxing National Championships. Franklin faced 2009 National PAL Champion Adam Lopez (San Antonio, Texas) in the opening bout of the night. The contest was close throughout but Franklin pulled out the win, taking a 14-12 decision and a spot in the semifinals. He will take on Emilio Sanchez (Pacoima, Calif.) on Thursday.
The female flyweight division showcased another round of exciting bouts with Wednesday’s winners advancing to the first U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing. The 2010 USA Boxing National Championships finalists, Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and Tyrieshia Douglas (Baltimore, Md.) clinched their trials berths with semifinal wins. Esparza recorded a 25-15 win over former National Champion Cynthia Moreno (Guadalupe, Ariz.) while Douglas defeated Berenice Hernandez (Las Vegas, Nev.). 2010 National PAL Champion Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) and Poula Estrada (Palmdale, Calif.) claimed the final two spots in the semifinal round.
2010 USA Boxing National Championships semifinalist Toka Kahn-Clary (Providence, R.I.) earned a berth in his first Olympic Team Trials on Wednesday night. The Liberia native won a 24-19 decision over Divante Jones (N. Augusta, S.C.) in their quarterfinal contest. He will face 2010 National PAL Champion Kenneth Sims, Jr. (Chicago, Ill.) in Thursday’s semifinals.
Two Texas boxers advanced to the semifinal round with victorious performances on Wednesday night. Two-time champion Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) enjoyed an early night, stopping Boston Salmon (Waianae, Hawaii) in the second round of their bout. Regis Prograis (Houston, Texas) battled in a much closer contest in his bout with former USA Boxing National Team member Alex Martin (Chicago, Ill.). Prograis claimed a one-point decision over Martin, 13-12 to move on to a semifinal bout with Luis Olivares (Glendale, Ariz.).
Light heavyweight Siju Shabazz (Las Cruces, N.M.) took on an opponent from the U.S. Army for the second straight night, taking on Derae Crane (Fort Carson, Colo.) in Wednesday’s quarterfinal competition. Crane’s bout went to a tiebreaker for the second consecutive bout, but he was on the losing end of tonight’s tiebreaker decision. Shabazz pulled out the tiebreaker victory on his 89-87 total punch count edge to advance to a semifinal bout with 2011 Golden Gloves middleweight national champion Jesse Hart (Philadelphia, Pa.).
The women’s middleweight division showcased a battle between two, two-time national champions in quarterfinal action as reigning middleweight titlist Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) faced off with former light heavyweight champion Tika Hemingway (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Hemingway made her national debut at the middleweight division at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships and faced tough opposition on her first tournament at the new weight class. Hemingway took the early lead in the bout, holding a 10-5 edge after two rounds. She maintained her five-point lead in the third but Hearn looked to chip away at her deficit in the final round. Despite Hemingway having a point taken, Hearn couldn’t overcome her deficit and Hemingway won the bout by a 17-14 margin. She will face 2009 National Champion Alyssa DeFazio (Peoria, Ariz.) in Thursday’s semifinals.
Laron Mitchell (San Francisco, Calif.) pulled the upset of the night, defeating two-time national champion Lenroy Thompson (Uniondale, N.Y.). Mitchell won a 14-12 decision over the top ranked super heavyweight in the nation to advance on to the quarterfinals and earn a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The win is Mitchell’s second straight upset win following a defeat of 2010 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist Danny Kelly (Washington DC) in opening bout action.
One session of semifinal round competition will take place on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Christian School. Thursday’s victors will move on to the finals, which will be contested on Saturday at the City Auditorium.
Wednesday’s Evening Results
Quarterfinal Bouts
112 lbs/female: Poula Estrada, Palmdale, Calif., dec. Alicia Avila, Colorado Springs, Colo., 11-10
112 lbs/female: Tyreishia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., dec. Berenice Hernandez, Las Vegas, Nev. 23-14
112 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Nicole Pasillas, Aurora, Colo., 18-6
112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, dec. Cynthia Moreno, Phoenix, Ariz., 25-15
114 lbs/male: John Franklin, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Adam Lopez, San Antonio, Texas, 14-12
114 lbs/male: Oscar Cantu, Kingsville, Texas, dec. Stephon Young, St. Louis, Mo., 22-17
114 lbs/male: Emilio Sanchez, Pacoima, Calif., dec. Shawn Simpson, Chicago, Ill., 25-18
114 lbs/male: Gabriel Montoya, Cheyenne, Wyo., dec. Samuel Rodriguez, Palm Bay, Fla. 30-19
125 lbs/female: Emily Dagnan, Jasper, Tenn., dec. Asia Stevenson, Washington, D.C., 20-18
125 lbs/female: Heather Hardy, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Andrea Peters, Fort Carson, Colo., 22-9
125 lbs/female: Elizabeth Leddy, Portland, Maine, dec. Casey Morton Carissa, San Francisco, Calif., 45-26
132 lbs/male: Kenneth Sims Jr., Chicago Ill., dec. Eric Altamirano, Concord, Calif., 27-17
132 lbs/male: Damon Allen, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Raeese Aleem, Muskegon Heights, Mich., 26-25
132 lbs/male: Jose Ramirez, Avenal, Calif., dec. Adam Castillo, Lubbock, Texas, 15-11
132 lbs/male: Toka Kahn Clary, Providence, R.I., dec. Divante Jones, N. Augusta, S.C., 24-19
141 lbs/female: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio, dec. Kristin Gearhart, Oak Park, Ill., 13-5
141 lbs/female: Kathleen Walsh, Rankankama, N.Y., dec. Kendra Macon, Charlotte, N.C., 29-11
141 lbs/female: Luvisa Matali, Denver, Colo., dec. Jessica McCaskill, St. Louis, Mo., 14-9
141 lbs/female: Ariel Beck, Deer Lodge, Mont., dec. Rachell Wehrl, Stafford, Va., 21-7
152 lbs/male: Errol Spence, DeSoto, Texas, stopped Boston Salmon, Waianae, Hawaii, RSC-2 (2:49)
152 lbs/male: Willie Jones, Charlotte, N.C., dec. William McElroy, Roseville, Mich., 10-9
152 lbs/male: Regis Prograis, Houston, Texas, dec. Alex Martin, Joilet, Ill., 13-12
152 lbs/male: Luis Olivares, Glendale, Ariz., dec. Jeremy Fiorentino, New Windsor, N.Y., 19-15
165 lbs/female: Tiffanie Ward, Hacienda, Heights, Calif., dec. Christina Jensen, Centereach, N.Y., 31-11
165 lbs/female: Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa, dec. Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky., 31-11
165 lbs/female: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., stopped Audrey Drew, Dallas, Texas, RSC-4 (1:10)
165 lbs/female: Alyssa Defazio, Peoria, Ariz., dec. Dara Shen, Fairfax, Va., 29-10
178 lbs/male: Sean Bettencourt, Stoughton, Mass., dec. Lanell Bellows, Las Vegas, Nev., 14-13
178 lbs/male: Sijoula Shabazz, Las Cruces, N.M. dec. Derae Crane, Colorado Springs, Colo., 16-16 (87-89)
178 lbs/male: Jesse Hart, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Maquice Weston, Tacoma, Wash., 14-7
178 lbs/male: Jerry Odom, Bowie, Md., dec. Tony Mack, Plano, Texas, 34-27
201+ lbs/male: Laron Mitchell, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Lenroy Thompson, Lenexa, Kan., 12-10
201+ lbs/male: O’Jayland Brown, Sacramento, Calif., dec. Theron Pappas, Rapid City, S.D., 24-7
201+ lbs/male: Jonathan Hamm, St. Paul, Minn., dec. Trevor Bryan, Albany, N.Y., 17-13
201+ lbs/male: Dominic Breazeale, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Brett Rather, Las Vegas, Nev., 24-21
