The fourth day of the 2015 USA Boxing National Championships featured a full day of quarterfinal contests on Thursday at the HUB Sports Center in Spokane, Wash. The quarterfinal action featured several twists and turns with two 2012 Olympians making their tournament debuts and a handful of athletes competing for the fourth straight day in the pacific northwest.
Returning women’s bantamweight champion Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) competed in her first USA Boxing National Championships since relocating to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on Thursday. She took on Melanie Costa (Norton, Mass.) in her 2015 opener and made it a successful one, winning a 3-0 decision.
In men’s action, Christopher Colbert (Brooklyn, N.Y.) advanced to the semifinal round in his first USA Boxing Elite National Championships with a unanimous decision win over Eric Estrada (Hillsboro, Ore.) in the bantamweight division. In the opposite ring, Michael Angeletti (Spring, Texas) joined Colbert in the bantamweight semifinal bracket with a split decision with over Angelo Valencia (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Rahim Gonzales (Sylmar, Calif.) defeated his second national champion of the week, claiming a unanimous decision win over 2014 youth titlist Jonathan Navarro (Los Angeles, Calif.) in their light welterweight match-up.
2014 USA Boxing National Championships welterweight silver medalist Chordelle Booker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) moved up to the middleweight division for the 2015 event and he ensured at least a bronze medal with a win in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Booker claimed a 3-0 victory over Antonio Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) to clinch his semifinal berth.
The early session closed with a major upset by Spokane’s own Patrick Ferguson in the heavyweight division. The hometown boxer outworked 2014 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist Saridus Simmons (Flint, Mich.) en route to a unanimous decision victory and a spot on Friday’s semifinals.
2012 Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) opened the evening session with the first bout of her ninth USA Boxing National Championships. She kicked off the 2015 event with a unanimous decision win over Ivette Delgado (Yonkers, N.Y.) and will return to action in Friday night’s semifinals.
In men’s flyweight action, 2013 youth national champion Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.) won his first elite division contest in one of the best bouts of quarterfinal day. Vargas faced off with Christian Carto (Deptford, N.J.) for a spot in the semifinal round. The two talented flyweights battled it out for three entertaining rounds to the delight of the fans at the HUB but there could only be one winner. Vargas claimed the decision by a 3-0 margin to advance to his first USA Boxing Elite National Championships semifinal.
Seven-time U.S. national champion Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) has returned to her light welterweight roots for the 2015 edition of the USA Boxing National Championships. She opened her run at an eighth title with a third round TKO over Katherine Bouldin (Live Oak, Texas) in quarterfinal competition. She will face Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) in a rematch of last year’s lightweight semifinal on Friday night.
2014 Youth World Champion and Youth Olympic silver medalist Darmani Rock (Philadelphia, Pa.) left no doubt that his patented punching power would carry through to the elite division in his tournament debut on Thursday night. Rock put an end to his bout with Ramel Clasablanca (Bremerton, Wash.) with a right hand at the 1:04 mark of the first round. He will face a second Washington state boxer, Elvis Garcia (Tacoma, Wash.) on Friday night.
USA Boxing Elite National Championships competition will move to Northern Quest’s Pend Oreile Pavilion on Friday. Semifinal bouts will be contested in two sessions at noon and 5 p.m. with all of the winners advancing to Friday’s finals.
Thursday, January 22
Quarterfinal Bouts
5 p.m.
112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Ivette Delgado, Yonkers, N.Y., 3-0
112 lbs/female: Melissa Parker, Fort Carson, Colo, dec. Kathy McPherson, Mexa, Ariz., 3-0
112 lbs/female: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas dec. Karina Sarabia, El Monte, Calif., 3-0
112 lbs/female: Alexandra Love, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., 2-1
114 lbs/male: Luis Delgado, San Antonio, Texas dec. Isaac Rodriguez, San Antonio, Texas, 3-0
114 lbs/male: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla., dec. Christian Carto, Deptford, N.J., 3-0
114 lbs/male: Gilbert Renteria, Houston, Texas dec. Abel Soriano, Omaha, Neb., 3-0
132 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Temitope Pedro, San Francisco, Calif., 3-0
132 lbs/female: Carmen Vargas, Houston, Texas dec. N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, 2-1
132 lbs/female: Mioshia Wagoner, Lawrence, Kansas dec. Aleah Dillard, Dallas, Texas, 3-0
132 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Van Nuys, Calif., dec. Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0
132 lbs/male: Maliek Montgomery, Macon, Ga., dec. Abel Mendoza, El Paso, Texas, 3-0
132 lbs/male: Hector Tanajara, San Antonio, Texas dec. Nasir Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., 3-0
132 lbs/male: Genaro Gamez, San Diego, Calif., won on TKO over Lorenzo Caldera, Portland, Ore., TKO-3
132 lbs/male: Jamaine Ortiz-Rodriguez, Worcester, Mass., dec. Charles Vasquez Vera, New Port Richey, Fla., 3-0
141 lbs/female: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., dec. Stacey Parker, Aurora, Ill, 3-0
141 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., won on Katherine Boudlin, Live Oak, Texas, TKO-3
141 lbs/female: Nisa Rodriguez, Bronx, N.Y., dec. Monayah Patterson, Warren, Mich., 3-0
141 lbs/female: Nakarri Jones, Tampa, Fla., won on TKO over Jasmine Singh, Anaheim, Calif., TKO-I
152 lbs/male: Ardreal Holmes, Flint, Mich., dec. Arthur Saakyan, Montebello, Calif., 3-0
152 lbs/male: VeShawn Owens, St. Louis Park, Minn., dec. Damien Lopez, Burbank, Calif., 3-0
152 lbs/male: John Williams, Baton Rouge, Las., dec. Abram Martinez, Greeley, Colo, 2-1
152 lbs/male: Paul Kroll, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Burim Beqiri, Grand Rapids, Mich., 2-1
165 lbs/female: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Jillian Erstad, Spokane, Wash., 3-0
178 lbs/male: Edward Ortiz, San Antonio, Texas dec. Eric Moon, Mobile, Ala., 2-1
178 lbs/male: Tory Williams, Mandeville, La., dec. Jasper McCargo, Oakland, Calif., 2-1
178 lbs/male: Niko Valdes, Miami, Fla., dec. Lesly Jean, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2-1
178 lbs/male: Julio Perez Campusano, Roxbury, Mass., dec. Adam Paolino, Warwick, R.I., 2-1
201+ lbs/male: Elvis Garcia, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Brandon Glanton, Ellenwood, Ga., 2-1
201+ lbs/male: Marlo Moore, Hayward, Calif., dec. Ignacio Camacho, Paterson, N.J., 3-0
201+ lbs/male: Darmani Rock, Philadelphia, Pa., won on knockout over Ramel Clasblanca, Bremerton, Wash., KO-1 (1:04)
201+ lbs/male: Alante Green, Garfield, Ohio, won on disqualification over Kurtis Taylor, Las Vegas, Nev., DQ-2
11 a.m.
106 lbs/female: Maureeca Lambert, Glen Ellyn, Ill., dec. Jennifer Amato, Keene, N.H., 2-1
106 lbs/female: Brittany Delgado, Center Moriches, N.Y., dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 2-1
119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y, dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 3-0
119 lbs/female: Jennifer Chieng, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Jacquelyn Cuddeback, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 3-0
123 lbs/male: Rudy Garcia, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Sean Scott, Cincinnati, Ohio, 3-0
123 lbs/male: Christopher Colbert, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Eric Estrada, Hillsboro, Ore., 3-0
123 lbs/male: Anthony Chavez, San Bernandino, Calif., dec. Cristian Williams, Chicago, Ill., 2-1
123 lbs/male: Michael Angeletti, Spring, Texas dec. Angelo Valencia, Albuquerque, N.M., 2-1
125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., won on walkover over Kristen Carlson, Chicago, Ill., W/O
125 lbs/female: Leesa Daniel, Austin, Texas dec. Nataly Chavez, Splendora, Texas, 3-0
141 lbs/male: David Mijares, Pasadena, Calif., dec. Douglas Northern, Philadelphia, Pa., 3-0
141 lbs/male: Eduardo Garcia, Houston, Texas dec. Tra-Kwon Pettis, Atlanta, Ga., 2-1
141 lbs/male: Rahim Gonzales, Sylmar, Calif., dec. Jonathan Navarros, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0
141 lbs/male: Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. Evander Lamourt, New Port Richey, Fla., 3-0
152 lbs/female: Catarina Lentini, Bethlehem, Pa., dec. Lilian Santander, Mesa, Ariz., 3-0
165 lbs/male: Leshawn Rodriquez, Medford, N.Y., dec. Mark Joseph Antalan, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0
165 lbs/male: Randy Foster, Covington, Ga., dec. Kalvin Henderson, Fayettteville, Ark., 2-1
165 lbs/male: Christopher Thompson, Flint, Mich., dec. Keon Burroughs, Mobile, Ala., 3-0
165 lbs/male: Chordelle Booker, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Antonio Woods, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 3-0
201 lbs/male: Ryan Watson, Duluth, Minn., dec. Alvin Davie, Bel Harbour, Fla., 3-0
201 lbs/male: Vardan Khachatrian, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Adrian Taylor, Mesquite, Texas, 2-1
201 lbs/male: Patrick Ferguson, Spokane, Wash., dec. Sardius Simmons, Flint, Mich., 3-0
