(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Middleweight Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) and light heavyweight Tyler Lord-Wilder (Lansing, Mich.) both won Women’s Pan American Championships titles with convincing victories in final round action on Tuesday in Guayquil, Ecuador. It is the second Pan American Games Championships gold for both Crews and Lord-Wilder. Light flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and flyweight Cheryl Houlihan (Norton, Mass.) both won silver medals at the event..
Crews won gold at the 2006 edition as well, and utilized that experience when she took the ring for her middleweight championship bout with Amber Konikon of Canada. The two-time national champion put a quick end to the final round contest, stopping the Canadian in the first round of their bout. Lord-Wilder faced off with Maude Bergeron of Canada in the light heavyweight final round contest and won a convincing victory as well. Lord-Wilder defeated Bergeron by a 26-12 margin to take the light heavyweight gold medal. It is the second Pan American Championships gold for Lord-Wilder who also won gold at the 2005 edition. She is returning to the international scene after a one year lay-off following a bronze medal at the 2005 Women’s World Championships.
Esparza dropped a 19-4 decision to defending champion and Women’s World Championships silver medalist Jessica Bopp of Argentina while Houlihan lost a 5-1 decision to Canada’s Mandy Bujold. Heavyweight Anne Gibbon (Odenton, Md.) won a gold medal unopposed in Ecuador.
United States Final Round Results
106 lbs: Jessica Bopp, ARG, dec. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA, 19-4
110 lbs: Mandy Bujold, CAN, dec. Cheryl Houlihan, Norton, Mass./USA, 5-1
165 lbs: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md./USA stopped Amber Konikon, CAN, RSC-1
176 lbs: Tyler Lord-Wilder, Lansing, Mich./USA dec. Maude Bergeron, CAN, 26-12
189 lbs: Anne Gibbon, Odenton, Md./USA won unopposed
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).