By Ryan Maquiñana
And then there were three.
Such was the result of Thursday’s action at the U.S. Women’s Olympic Trials, as each of the three weight classes pared its numbers down to a trio of fighters.
In the flyweight (112 lbs.) division, Marlen Esparza of Houston and New York City’s Christina Cruz were on a collision course, and Esparza emerged victorious with the decision. Cruz must now stave off elimination against Baltimore, Md.’s Tyrieshia Douglas, who defeated Virginia Fuchs of Kemah, Tex.
Seattle’s Queen Underwood edged N’yteeyah Sherman of Barberton, Ohio, to take the winners’ bracket in the lightweight (132 lbs.) tournament. Sherman now gets Los Angeles’ Mikaela Mayer, who outpointed Washington D.C.’s Tiara Brown.
The night concluded with the middleweights (165 lbs.), as Claressa Shields of Centerline, Mich., coasted to a spot in the finals with a dominant win over Tika Hemingway of Pittsburgh. Baltimore’s Franchon Crews ran into a buzzsaw in San Francisco, Calif.’s Raquel Miller, and the latter will advance to a rematch with Hemingway, who won their first fight on Monday.
Friday de facto semifinals can be seen live at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT on Universal Sports Live Stream. The winners’ bracket champs advance straight to Saturday’s final.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
(Challengers’ Bracket fights are elimination bouts)
FLYWEIGHT (112 LBS.) – WINNERS’ BRACKET
Marlen Esparza (Houston, Tex.) def. Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.), 13-10
FLYWEIGHT (112 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
Tyrieshia Douglas (Baltimore, Md.) def. Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas), 31-19
LIGHTWEIGHT (132 LBS.) – WINNERS’ BRACKET
Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) def. N'yteeyah Sherman (Barberton, Ohio), 25-24
LIGHTWEIGHT (132 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) def. Tiara Brown (Lehigh Acres, Fla.), 23-18
MIDDLEWEIGHT (165 LBS.) – WINNERS’ BRACKET
Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) def. Tika Hemingway (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 23-15
MIDDLEWEIGHT (165 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
Raquel Miller (San Francisco, Calif.) def. Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.), 26-15
FRIDAY’S BOUT SCHEDULE
(Challengers’ Bracket fights are elimination bouts)
FLYWEIGHT (112 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) vs. Tyrieshia Douglas (Baltimore, Md.)
LIGHTWEIGHT (132 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
N'yteeyah Sherman (Barberton, Ohio) vs. Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.)
MIDDLEWEIGHT (165 LBS.) – CHALLENGERS’ BRACKET
Tika Hemingway (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. Raquel Miller (San Francisco, Calif.)
Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com , check out his blog at norcalboxing.net or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
