From USA Boxing:
Six Olympic Hopefuls Advance to the Winners Bracket Finals at the Olympic Trials
Claressa Shields earns decision win over Tika Hemingway to real the Olympic Trials Final
(MEMPHIS, TENN.) – The Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing winners bracket semifinal round featured several closely contested bouts on Tuesday at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn. Six women advanced on to the winners bracket finals with victories on Tuesday night.
Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) have certainly had their fair share of battles and the two Olympic Training Center resident athletes both laid it on the line in the first winners bracket bout of Tuesday’s competition. Their contrasting styles made for an entertaining contest as the two athletes battled for the first berth in the winners bracket finals. At the end of the four rounds, Esparza was named the winner by a 3-0 margin. Esparza will take on another familiar foe in Wednesday’s competition – Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas). Fuchs took a 3-0 win over Amanda Pavone (Burlington, Mass.) in the second flyweight winners bracket semifinal on Tuesday evening. Esparza and Fuchs have met in the final round of the USA Boxing National Championships for the past three years and will reunite on Wednesday with a spot in the Olympic Trials championship bout on the line. Alex Love (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Giovanna Camacho (Colorado Springs, Colo.) advanced in the flyweight challengers bracket.
Two Los Angeles area boxers met in the first winners bracket lightweight semifinal bout. The match-up between 2015 National Champion Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Junior and Youth World Champion Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.) showcased another unique match-up of styles. The contest was the first meeting between the two boxers and Mayer pulled out a 2-1 decision in the battle of southern California. Mayer moves on to a match-up with an opponent she has certainly faced before. 2012 World Champion Tiara Brown (Fort Myers, Fla.) recorded her second win of the tournament with a 3-0 decision over the World Class Athlete Program’s Rianna Rios (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Mayer and Brown will meet for the fifth time on Wednesday with each boxer holding two previous wins over the other. Samantha Kinchen (Lexington, Ky.) and Amelia Moore (Millersville, Md.) will face off tomorrow in lightweight challengers bracket competition.
The rematch streak continued in the middleweight division as 2012 Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) and 2012 Olympic Trials runner-up Tika Hemingway (Brackenridge, Pa.) battled for the first spot in the middleweight winners bracket finals. After their 2012 Olympic Trials finale contest, the two met again at the 2015 USA Boxing National Championships in January and both boxers were looking forward to today’s rematch. The bout was intense from the opening bell with both boxers look to dictate the pace and land the stronger shots. Shields was able to execute her game plan in the winners bracket semifinal and she won a 3-0 decision over Hemingway to move on to her second straight winners bracket final. On the opposite of the bracket, two former world championships medalists faced off for the final winners bracket final round berth. Raquel Miller (San Diego, Calif.) emerged victorious in the bout, winning a 2-1 decision over Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) to advance to a Wednesday meeting with Shields. Cierra Taylor (Rochester, N.Y.) and Naomi Graham (Colorado Springs, Colo.) each won their challengers bracket bouts on Tuesday.
All of the athletes remaining in contention at the Olympic Trials will compete on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Cook Convention Center. The athletes who lost in today’s challengers bracket competition were eliminated from the tournament.
Over 100 bouts took place in the final qualifier for the Olympic Trials for Men’s Boxing as their tournament action moved in to a second full day at the Cook Convention Center. All of the men’s winners advanced in preliminary action, which will resume at noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Results
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 3-0
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo., won on disqualification over Jamie Mitchell, Las Vegas, Nev., DQ
112 lbs/winners bracket: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., 3-0
112 lbs/winners bracket: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas dec. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., 3-0
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Samantha Kinchen, Lexington, Ky., dec. Stalacia Leggett, San Diego, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Amelia Moore, Millersville, Md., dec. Lisa Porter, Van Nuys, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/winners bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/winners bracket: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., dec. Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., 2-1
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Cierra Taylor, Rochester, N.Y., dec. Iesha Kenney, Alexandria, Va., 3-0
165 lbs/winners bracket: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., 3-0
165 lbs/winners bracket: Raquel Miller, San Diego, Calif., dec. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., 2-1
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