Three American boxers scored wins on Tuesday at the World Olympic Qualifying Event to move one step closer to qualifying berths in the 2016 Olympic Games. Flyweight Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.) and light welterweight Gary Russell (Capitol Heights, Md.) each advanced to the quarterfinals and now each only need one more victory to securing Olympic berths. Super heavyweight Marlo Moore (Hayward, Calif.) won his quarterfinal bout to advance to the semifinals and needs two victories wins to clinch his spot. Heavyweight Cam F. Awesome (Lenexa, Kansas) lost his quarterfinal contest in Tuesday’s action and will now begin preparations for the final qualifier in Venezuela.
Vargas took on Guatemala’s Eddie Valenzuela Barillas in his third bout of the tournament on Tuesday afternoon in Baku. He continued his winning streak with a unanimous decision victory in his final preliminary contest against Barillas. Vargas moves on to a quarterfinal match-up with Italy’s Vicenza Picardi on Thursday. If Vargas is victorious on Thursday, he will qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Russell has enjoyed a strong week of boxing in Baku and he impressed once again on Tuesday. He won a wide, unanimous decision over Australia’s David Biddle in their light welterweight contest Tuesday afternoon. His latest dominant performance earned Russell a spot in the quarterfinal round with Jordan’s Obada Alkasbeh on Thursday. A win on Thursday will clinch Russell a berth in the Olympic Games and make him the second Russell brother to earn a berth on the U.S. Olympic Team following his older brother in 2008.
Moore competed in evening session action on Tuesday in a super heavyweight contest with Bulgaria’s Petar Rumenov Velberov. Moore pulled out a split decision win over Velberov by tiebreaker to take his second victory and move on to the semifinal round. He will be off until Friday’s semifinal round competition in Azerbaijan.
Awesome also faced off in quarterfinal competition on Tuesday evening but he didn’t get the result he was hoping for in his bout with Ecuador’s Julio Cesar Castillo Torres. He lost a 3-0 decision to the number two tournament seed, eliminating him from the tournament. Awesome will have one more opportunity to qualify July 3-8 in Vargas, Venezuela.
All of the athletes are enjoying an off day on Wednesday before the all important quarterfinal contests on Thursday in Baku.
Male light flyweight Nico Hernandez (Wichita, Kansas), male bantamweight Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.), female lightweight Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.), male lightweight Carlos Balderas (Santa Maria, Calif.), female middleweight Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.), and male middleweight Charles Conwell (Cleveland, Ohio) have previously qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games.
U.S. Result
114 lbs/52 kg: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla./USA dec. Eddie Valenzuela Barillas, GUA, 3-0
141 lbs/64 kgs: Gary Russell, Capitol Heights, Md./USA dec. David Biddle, AUS, 3-0
201 lbs/91 kg: Julio Cesar Castillo Torres, ECU, dec. Cam F. Awesome, Lenexa, Kansas/USA, 3-0
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Marlo Moore, Hayward, Calif./USA dec. Petar Rumenov Velberov, BUL, 2-1 (tiebreaker)
