Team USA Takes Several Hits in Milan, Italy
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Featherweight Kevin Rivers (Landover, Md.) enjoyed the sole victory of a difficult weekend for Team USA at the 2009 World Championships in Milan, Italy. Rivers recorded a 9-5 decision over Sweden’s Bashir Hassan on Sunday morning at the Mediolanum Forum. The victory advances Rivers on to a third round match-up with 2007 Bantamweight World Champion Sergey Vodopiyanov of Russia.
Five U.S. boxers suffered preliminary losses over the weekend as light flyweight Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) dropped a 19-7 decision to Jose Kelvin de la Nieve Linares of Spain and bantamweight Jesus Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.) was defeated by Germany’s Denis Makarov by an 11-8 margin on Saturday.
Three U.S. boxers took the ring for the first time at the event on Sunday, but welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas), light heavyweight Robert Brant (St. Paul, Minn.) and heavyweight Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) all lost their debuts. Spence and Brant both faced Cuban boxers in their openers with Spence losing an 11-1 decision to Carlos Banteur Suarez and Brant dropping a 17-8 bout to Jose Larduet Gomez. Shimmell was the final U.S. boxer to compete on Sunday but he couldn’t end the streak, losing a 10-3 bout to France’s John M’bumba.
Two U.S. competitors remain in the tournament and both will return to action on Tuesday with Rivers facing Vodopiyanov and light welterweight Frankie Gomez (Broadway, Calif.) battling Uzbekistan’s Sanjarbek Rahmanov.
For the most up-to-date results and information as well as complete brackets for all 11 weight divisions, go to www.aiba.org.
Weekend U.S. Results
106 lbs: Jose Kelvin de la Nieve Linares, ESP, dec. Miguel Cartagena, Philadadelphia, Pa/USA., 19-7
119 lbs: Denis Makarov, GER, dec. Jesus Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 12-9
125 lbs: Kevin Rivers, Landover, Md./USA dec. Bashir Hassan, SWE, 9-5
152 lbs: Carlos Banteur Suarez, CUB, dec. Errol Spence, Desoto, Texas/USA, 11-1
178 lbs: Jose Larduet Gomez, CUB, dec. Robert Brant, St. Paul, Minn./USA, 17-8
201 lbs: John M’bumba, FRA, dec. Jordan Shimmell, Hudsonville, Mich./USA, 10-3
Tuesday’s Schedule
125 lbs: Kevin Rivers, Landover, Md./USA vs. Sergey Vodopiyanov, RUS, (9:30 a.m. EST)
141 lbs: Frankie Gomez, Broadway, Calif./USA vs. Sarjarbek Rahmanov, UZB (2:30 p.m. EST)