USA Boxing brings home six medals from 2020 Strandja Tournament

Photo by
Brian Taylor, USA Boxing
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Used with permission

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

SOFIA, BULGARIA (January 25, 2020) Houston's Virginia  Fuchs led the contingent of medal winners for the United States at the 2020 Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, with USA Boxing bringing home three gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

In the first match of the finals, Fuchs faced off against fellow American Christina Cruz (Hell's Kitchen, New York) in the women's flyweight division, pulling out a 4-1 decision for the gold medal. Fuchs and Cruz fought in the finals of the U.S.A. Olympic Trials in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with Fuchs coming away with a unanimous decision.

 

Welterweight Osha Jones (Toledo, Ohio) picked up another gold medal for the United States after downing France's Emilie Sonvio with unanimous decision.Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, North Carolina), who was the2019 Standja Tournament champion  closed out the day by taking her second straight Strandja title with her 3-2 decision against Davina Michel of France.

Andrea Medina (San Diego, Calif.) fell short in her first international championship bout, 4-1, to Ukraine’s Iuliia Tsyplakova in the second bout of the final day of competition. picking up the silver medal

The sixth and final medal for Team USA, a bronze, was won by flyweight Anthony Herrera (Los Angeles, California). The tournament marked Herrera’s first international tournament and international medal.

The American delegation began the tournament with 24 boxers competing in the 71st edition of the Strandja Tournament to conclude the selection process to determine the 13 boxers who will represent Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Qualification tournaments. 

Texan Virgina Fuchs wins U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials in 112-pound division

Virginia Fuchs speaks with
ring announcer Jeremiah Gallegos
after her victory.
Photo by
Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (December 15, 2019) After four years of waiting, Texan Virginia Fuchs is one step closer to her Olympic dream in winning the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. Facing off against Christina Cruz (New York, New York) in the finals, the native of Kemah, Texas took the unanimous decision in the 112-pound weight class. 

Earlier in the week, Fuchs downed Stephanie Chavez (Orange, California) on Monday, December 9 and Heaven Garcia (El Monte, California) on Friday, December 13 in unanimos decisions. Between these two bouts, she squared off against Cruz on Wednesday, December 11, and also took a unanimous decision.

Both Fuchs and Cruz will advance to the final stage of the selection process, which will take place January 2-26, 2020 at the U.S Olympic and Paralymic Training Center (USOPC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado and at the Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. USA Boxing will annoucement the final 13 boxers that will represent Team USA at the International Qualification Tournaments following the conclusion of these events. The first opportunity for the 13 American boxers to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in April, with the second and final opportunity taking place in Paris, France in May.

Final Boxers Set for Finale of 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019, All Rights Reserved

From USA Boxing Press Release

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (December 14, 2019) Stakes were high Saturday as the boxers faced elimination in the last round of the challenger’s bracket. The winners advanced to the finals while the losers will have to try again in the next Olympic trials. Here’s who confirmed their place in the finals.

In the women’s 165 lbs. division, Morelle McCane (Cleveland, Ohio) used a patient approach to get a 4-1 decision win over Alexis Gomez (South San Francisco, Calif.) and advance to the finals. She waited for Gomez to make a mistake and struck when the opportunity was best. With the win, she earns another shot at Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, N.C.). The two were scheduled to fight yesterday but McCane missed the bout because of a scheduling mix-up.

“I fought my fight,” McCane said. “I took control of the ring. I’m fired up and ready to go. Boxing is adding to yourself every day. I’m just building. No let up.”  

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Lupe Gutierrez (Sacramento, Calif.) proved to be too much for Isamary Aquino (Universal City, Texas) as she handed her both of her losses in the women’s 125 lbs. division of these trials. Gutierrez won the rematch by 4-1 decision. She advances to the finals for another rematch, this time against Andrea Medina (San Diego, Calif.). Medina beat Gutierrez last night in a close 3-2 decision. Gutierrez will need to beat Medina twice to secure a spot in the Olympics.

“I’m feeling great,” Gutierrez said. “I know I took that loss but I’m ready to get the win back. I’m ready for it."

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It’s unusual to have unanimous decisions in high-stakes bouts like these, but that’s exactly how Joseph Hicks (Grand Rapids, Mic.) beat Troy Isley (Alexandra, Va.) to advance to the finals. This sets up a rematch with Javier Martinez (Milwaukee, Wisc.), who beat Hicks by unanimous decision in the second round.

“Today was the best I’ve felt in a long, long time,” Hicks said. “Troy is a really good kid and a really great fighter. As for Javier, I figured some things out about him. He’s another great fighter, but I have some things figured out.”

Jeremiah Milton (Tulsa, Okla.) of the men’s 201+ lbs. division followed the trend Hicks set by defeating Luis Alvarado (Kenosha, Wisc.) by unanimous decision. It was a rematch of the second round, a 4-1 decision win by Milton. Milton will have to take this strong performance into tomorrow’s bout with Antonio Mireles (Des Moines, Iowa), who’s dominated this tournament and won every bout by unanimous decision.

“What I noticed about this tournament is that you have to hit more gears,” Milton said. “Every day you have to bring another gear. It’s Olympic trials. Everyone is trying to get to that spot. You have to make those adjustments on the fly. I knew I’d get here because I dedicated myself.”  

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In the women’s 132 lbs. division, Amelia Moore (Alexandria, Va.) avenged a 3-2 second-round loss to Kimberly Carlson (Chicago, Ill.) with a 4-1 decision victory to advance to the finals. There, she’ll have to get past top-seed Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.).

“I had a clear mind,” Moore said. “That’s been pretty much the mantra over the last few days since Wednesday. I listened to my corner with a clear mind and was calm. We made the adjustments we needed to make and came back and got the ‘W’ back. That was really important to me.”

It’s been a light tournament so far for Anthony Herrera (Los Angeles, Calif.). He won two of his fights by walkover and had his first fight only yesterday. That extra rest might have been the difference in a tight 3-2 decision win over Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas) to advance to the final. There, he’ll meet Abraham Perez (Albuquerque, N.M.) for a rematch. On Friday, Perez won in a 3-2 decision. Tomorrow should be another close one.

“As compared to yesterday, I think I shook off a little bit of ring rust,” Herrera said. “I had two walkovers, which was a shocker because that doesn’t usually happen in tournaments like these. I’m feeling better today, I’m feeling strong. I stuck to the game plan and tomorrow, I’ll be ready.”

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Christina Cruz (Hell’s Kitchen, N.Y.) earned herself another shot at the top seed in the women’s 112 lbs. division, Virginia Fuchs (Houston, Texas), with a 4-1 decision victory over Heaven Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.). Cruz and Fuchs met back in the second round, a unanimous decision in favor of Fuchs. Cruz is looking forward to another shot at a familiar foe.

“Very excited,” Cruz said. “I get to button up what I didn’t do in the last fight so I’m very excited to fix those little things and hopefully get the win.”

Regardless of who won in the men’s 178 lbs. division, there was sure to be a tough road to the championship. Awaiting in the finals is Rahim Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.), who had defeated both competitors in Saturday’s bout by unanimous decision. In the end, it was Atif Oberlton (Philadelphia, Pa.) who defeated Orville Crooks (Brooklyn, N.Y.) by a 3-2 decision to confirm the rematch.

“I’m working hard and listening to my corner,” Oberlton said. “I don’t second guess them. When they tell me to do something, I do it. It’s all about staying smart and being myself.”

In the men’s 125 lbs. division, David Navarro (Los Angeles, Calif.) completed his comeback from a surprising first-round loss by defeating Rashiem Jefferson (Philadelphia, Pa.) by a 4-1 decision to advance to the final. Waiting for Navarro is Bruce Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the eight-seed that has stormed through the trials.

“My first loss really opened my eyes,” Navarro said. “I just wasn’t ready for it. Now, I’m getting ready and I’m ready for the next round. I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a kid and it’s happening.”  

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Copyright 2019, All Rights Reserved

Jamar Talley (Camden, N.J.) got himself back into the winner’s bracket with a 3-1 decision win over Brandon Moore (Lakeland, Fla.) in the men’s 201 lbs. division. This sets up a rematch with Darius Fulghum (Rosharon, Texas). Yesterday, Fulghum got the best of Talley in a close 3-2 decision. Talley thinks he know what it will take to get the win tomorrow.

“To get it done, I gotta do what I did yesterday, but a hundred times more because yesterday wasn’t as good as it was supposed to be where I would have won,” Talley said.

The men’s 152 lbs. division top seed Freudis Rojas (Las Vegas, Nev.) took another step in his journey back to the top after a first-round loss with close a 3-2 decision win over Kelvin Davis (Norfolk, Va.). The win sets up a powerhouse matchup with Delante “Tiger” Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio) in the finals. Johnson has dominated the weight class thus far in the tournament but has yet to face the top-seeded Rojas.

“My battle isn’t over,” Rojas said. “I’m here to show that, even though I lost on the first day, I’m still in this tournament. I’m going to make the biggest comeback. I have a game plan, I’ll come out with the win that day.

Briana Che (Madison, Wisc.), the eight seed in the women’s 152 lbs. division, kept her winning streak alive with a 4-1 decision victory over Danyelle Wolf (San Diego, Calif.). The win sets up a rematch with Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio). Back in the first round, Jones beat Che by unanimous decision.

“I always say that sometimes you have to get knocked down and fall forward,” Che said. “That’s my motto. I picked myself up and reevaluated. I can only beat myself. My toughest opponent is myself. I just have to make the right decisions.”

In the men’s 138 lbs. division, Ernesto Mercado (Pomona, Calif.) earned a trip to the finals with a 4-1 victory over Charlie Sheehy (Brisbane, Calif.). Mercado is on a four-bout winning streak after losing in the first round. He’ll hope to carry that momentum into a matchup with top seeded Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk, Va.).

“The first day, I fell short,” Mercado said. “I learned from it. We’ve been picking it up day by day. I feel like tomorrow’s going to be a way better day for me.

Tomorrow’s finals will take place at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino at 3 p.m. CST. Sunday isn’t the absolute end of the trials, however. If a boxer experiences their first loss in the finals, there would be a rematch the following day at noon.

Light Flyweight Luis Yanez Eliminated from 2008 Olympic Games

BEIJING, CHINA (August 16, 2008) Light flyweight Luis Yanez of Duncanville, Texas was eliminated from the 2008 Olympic Games on Saturday at the Workers Indoor Arena in Beijing, China, falling to Mongolia’s Serdamba Purevdorj in an 8-7 nail biter.

Yanez opened the bout with a commitment to his jab, popping it in Purevdorj’s face in an attempt to keep the Mongolian from coming in. Despite the active jab, both boxers remained relatively cautious, not wanting to give their opponent an opening. Yanez scored the first blow, but trailed by a 3-2 margin after two minutes of action. He was held scoreless in the second round, while Purevdorj added one scoring blow to his slim margin. Yanez came out firing in the third, throwing a furious flurry in the opening minute of the round to take a 6-5 lead. Yet Purevdorj evened the score before the round ended and the two boxers went into the final round deadlocked at six. The two boxers exchanged ties and leads during the fourth round before Purevdorj moved out to a two-point lead in the final minute. Yanez pressed the Mongolian, looking to regain his advantage, and he pulled with one late in the round, but he couldn’t even up the score and lost the 8-7 final decision.

“This is most tournament of my life. Before I came up here, I talked to my dad and he told me just go in there and do everything you can, and that I’m in his heart and I feel like I let him down,” Yanez said. “I went in there and gave it my all, and I think I should have won this fight. It was definitely an experience. I’m facing the top guys in the world. The best guys in the world, and I want to give a big thanks to God because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in this position today.”

“We had a game plan going into the bout. We wanted him to box, but the main thing we wanted him to do was to get up early and get up first,” Olympic Head Coach Dan Campbell said. “We wanted him to engage early. We knew he had faster hands and more power. We wanted him to engage the guy and get up by three and make the guy have to come to him.”

The loss eliminates Yanez from the Olympic Games and leaves only two U.S. boxers remaining in the tournament. Welterweight Demetrius Andrade (Providence, R.I.) and heavyweight Deontay Wilder (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) will kick off quarterfinal competition on Sunday at the Workers Indoor Arena. 2007 World Champion Andrade, who already boasts two victories at the Olympic Games will face Korea’s Jung Joo Kim at approximately 8:45 p.m. Wilder will compete in his second bout of the tournament on Sunday as well, battling Morocco’s Mohammed Arjaoui at 9:30 p.m. As there are less heavyweights in the Olympics, Wilder only had to win once to advance on to the quarterfinals. A victory in Sunday’s competition guarantees each boxer a spot in the medal rounds.

Luis Yanez Quotes

“I think I should have won the 8-7 draw. In the first two rounds, I was just trying to keep it close. That way in the last round, I will be up. In that third round, I came out firing, I thought I was maybe up by two, but they said they had it tied up. In that last round, I went in there hands up; I knew I leaned in with the straight left and he caught me with the straight hook. I give him that. I think I got him with two more punches and it should have been an 8-7 win for me.”

“He (his father) said he was going to be awake and he told me to call him as soon as I’m done. He’s having a lot of prayers around me. He’s my motivation for everything, he plays a big role. He and my coach Dennis Rodarte and Hector Beltran; all three of them are in my heart. I don’t think I could have done anything better out there.”

“Dennis just told me to go out there, have fun and be the Latin Legend that I am. I went in there, I had fun. I didn’t get tired in there. I went in there and did what I had to do.”

“They were trying to tell me to go at him, go at him, go at him. I’m not that fighter to just go out there and throw punches. If I do that, I’m going to get caught with shots and I want to go out there, play it smart and keep my hands up. I wanted to make the fight close. I went in there the last round, I know I should have the last round. That’s the way the judges see it and you can’t overrule the judges.”

“That’s the way my coach always taught me to do, everything off the jab. Throw the jab, make him throw and counter right back with the 2-3-2. Like I said, I went in there, I had my coach and everybody in my heart. When they see this fight, I know they will think I should have won this fight. I have no doubt that I shouldn’t have lost this fight.”

“That’s a big word, it’s over. I can’t consider anything being over. I’m going to go back home with my family. My little brother and sister and especially my dad are there. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with talking to him yet. I know he was really nervous before when I talked to him. I know I could have medaled. I know I could have gotten in the ring with Zou and beat him, but if I can’t beat the opponent in front of me.”

“I love you Dad, I love you Dennis and I love you Hector.”

“My teammates said that they weren’t playing it fair. A lot of World Champions have been getting beat in this tournament and that’s a big disappointment to a lot of people. I wanted to be the disappointment to Zou Shiming. I went in there and gave it my all. I did what I had to do and I guess that’s what the judges saw.”

“Dan told me that I had to throw. I felt like I was up and they told me I was down so I went in there with my hands up and obviously he was running. I went there and I couldn’t get that last point.”

“I just want to go back to my family right now.”

Dan Campbell Quotes

“He started playing the waiting game from the beginning, which we didn’t understand. We were yelling to him in between rounds. We asked him several things – to engage this guy, he has faster hands and to get his hands up. He’d throw half a punch and pull straight back. The main thing was the when he did throw a punch, he was pulling back with his hands down and those were the things that caused him problems.”

“He’s actually a very aggressive boxer until tonight. One of the things that has always helped Luis is his aggression. He didn’t exhibit that. Tonight he decided to stand back and wait and it cost him. He’s always been an aggressive fighter and that’s how he has won in the past.”

“I saw several things and I called back to my technical advisor and asked what he saw. Number one, most of those jabs weren’t landing and so they didn’t give him credit for it. I did see him throw a punch in the third round, catch the guy squarely and the other guy got a point. It is just a carryover of what’s been happening with the officiating. Lack of execution on the part of our boxers, particularly tonight, cost him the bout.”

“When guys start feeling like they are going to get robbed anyway, they revert to a safe way of boxing and to wait seems safe. Even though, they might have the better hand speed and more power, to them, it’s safer to wait because that way they can’t get hit.”

U.S. Boxing Team Fights for Gold

BEIJING, CHINA (July 31, 2008) The U.S. Olympic boxing team is vowing to wage a battle for medals in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The eight-man U.S. squad, the smallest U.S. boxing team in 60 years, features two world champions, and is considered by many boxing analysts the most talented and well-trained team heading into a Summer Olympics.

Jon Decker from Reuters reports.

Texas Boxer Yanez Takes First Step Towards Beijing

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications) (photo at right courtesy of USA Boxing)

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (January 20, 2008) Mexico and the United States faced off against each other in San Diego in The Battle Across the Border at San Diego Arena. The lone boxer from Texas fought well, but it was not enough to win in his first fight of 2008 leading up to Beijing.

Light flyweight Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) opened the night’s competition with a bout against Mexico’s Odlion Zaleta. Yanez, who is a 2008 Olympian, took the early lead in the contest, but Zaleta answered back late in the round with a strong shot and the first round ended with Yanez holding a 5-1 lead. Zaleta enjoyed a productive second round, pulling the bout within one point at 8-7 at the halfway mark. He made up his slim deficit in the third as both boxers enjoyed spurts of action and the bout moved into the final two minutes deadlocked at ten. Zaleta pulled out the victory in the fourth round, scoring three points to win a 13-11 final decision and give Mexico the first bout of the event.

Three U.S. boxers took home victories in Friday’s action. Welterweight Greg Carter (Waterbury, Connecticut/New Mexico University) earned the first U.S. victory of the night with a 24-13 decision over Oscar Molina of Mexico. Molina held a slim one-point lead at the end of the first round, but it was the last advantage he would enjoy. Despite having a point taken in the second round, Carter took an 11-10 lead at the midway point of the contest. He extended his lead over the final four minutes, taking a 15-10 edge into the final round of boxing. Carter blew it open in the fourth round on his way to a 24-13 final decision.

Heavyweight David Carey (Anchorage, Alaska) simply would not be denied in his bout with Mexico’s Javier Torres. Carey took a slim early lead in the bout, holding a one-point advantage after each of the first two rounds. He began to take over the contest in the third round, and enjoyed an 18-12 edge as the final round began. Yet Carey refused to sit on his lead, he turned up the heat, throwing strong combinations and giving Torres a standing eight count. Carey’s efforts earned him nine points in the final round as well as a 27-16 final decision.

Super heavyweight Mike Wilson (Central Point, Oregon) closed the show in victorious fashion, winning a 16-9 decision over Mexico’s Andres Ruiz. Wilson led from bell-to-bell in the four round contest; moving out to a 4-1 lead after one. He pushed his lead to a 9-4 margin at the midway mark of the bout, and refused to relinquish his advantage over the final four minutes. Wilson took an 11-7 lead into the fourth round and extended his edge in the last round to take the final victory and end the night on a winning note.