Two American boxers have clinched medals at the 2015 Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Flyweight Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas) and bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) both won their quarterfinal bouts on Thursday to secure berths in the tournament semifinals. Light welterweight Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) lost her opening bout in the third U.S. match on Thursday in Bulgaria.
Fuchs and Cruz both stepped in to the ring for the second straight day on Thursday in Bulgaria with Fuchs facing Alicia Holzken of the Netherlands and Cruz batting Azerbaijan’s Anna Alimardanova. She won her second straight unanimous decision with a 3-0 victory over Holzken in flyweight action to move on to a semifinal bout with host nation boxer Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria on Friday.
Cruz won a 2-1 decision over Alimardanova in their bantamweight quarterfinal to clinch her spot in Friday’s semifinals. She will vie for the first Team USA win over a Chinese opponent in the 2015 Strandja Tournament when she faces China’s Piaopiao Liu in bantamweight competition.
In light welterweight action, Ellis lost a close 2-1 decision to China’s Wenlu Yang, eliminating her from the tournament.
Coaches Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.), Joe Guzman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Andrews Soto (Phoenix, Ariz.) are leading the U.S. squad in the first international tournament of the year in Bulgaria.
U.S. Results
112 lbs: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas/USA dec. Alicia Holzken, NED, 3-0
119 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y./USA dec. Camilla Johansen, NOR, 3-0
141 lbs: Wenlu Yang, CHN, dec. Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass./USA, 2-1
Previous Results
Two more American boxers enjoyed victories in their international openers at the 2015 Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Flyweight Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas) and bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) each took the ring for the first time on Wednesday and the duo emerged victorious. Lightweight Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) and middleweight Tika Hemingway (Pittsburgh, Pa.) dropped their preliminary bouts to reigning world championships medalists on Wednesday.
Fuchs took on home nation boxer Zlatislava Chukanova of Bulgaria in her preliminary round contest on Wednesday. She won a unanimous decision over Chukanova in the flyweight bout to advance on to Thursday’s quarterfinals. Cruz scored another win for Team USA in her match with Norway’s Camilla Johnson in the second U.S. bout of the day. She earned a unanimous decision as well, defeating Johnson 3-0 to move on to the bantamweight quarterfinals.
Hemingway took on a stiff test in her return to the international scene, battling 2014 World Championships silver medalist Qian Li. She lost a 3-0 decision to Li in the match-up, eliminating her from the competition.
Mayer opened the tournament with a victory in Tuesday’s opening day competition, taking a 3-0 decision over Belarus’ Ala Yarshevich in Team USA’s opening bout. Unfortunately, she didn’t enjoy the same success in her bout with 2014 World Championships bronze medalist Junhua Yin on Wednesday. Mayer fell to Yin by a 3-0 margin in their lightweight bout.
Fuchs and Cruz will return to action on Thursday, taking on the Netherlands’ Alicia Holzken and Azerbaijan’s Anna Alimardanova respectively. Light welterweight Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) will compete on Thursday as well, facing Wenlu Yang of China.
Semifinal competition will begin on Friday with the tournament finals on Saturday in Bulgaria.
Coaches Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Andrews Soto (Phoenix, Ariz.) are leading the U.S. squad in the first international tournament of the year in Bulgaria.
Wednesday’s Results
112 lbs: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas/USA dec. Zlatislava Chukanova, BUL, 3-0
119 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y./USA dec. Camilla Johansen, NOR, 3-0
132 lbs: Junhua Yin, CHN, dec. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif./USA, 3-0
165 lbs: Qian Li, CHN, dec. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa./USA, 3-0
Tuesday’s Result
132 lbs: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif./USA, dec. Ala Yarshevich, BLR, 3-0
