A Trio of U.S. Boxers Advance to Quarterfinal Action at the 2010 Women’s World Championships – (COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.), light welterweight Cashmere Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio) and welterweight Andrecia Wasson (Centerline, Mich.) all clinched quarterfinal berths with victories in preliminary action on Monday at the 2010 Women’s World Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. The trio now stands only one victory away world championships hardware..
Underwood notched her third victory of the tournament, defeating Thailand’s Sudaporn Seesondee in the first bout of the day for the U.S. squad. The three-time national champion enjoyed a more comfortable victory than her tiebreaker win on Saturday, holding Seesondee scoreless throughout the full eight minutes of action at the Garfield Sabers Sports Complex. Underwood fought a disciplined and patient bout, taking a small early lead and building on her edge round by round. She held a five-point lead as the final period began and enjoyed her highest point output in the final two minutes, winning an 8-0 final decision. Underwood will take on Bulgaria’s European Championships silver medalist Denitsa Eliseeva in quarterfinal action on Wednesday afternoon.
Shortly after Underwood’s bout, Jackson took the ring for her second bout of the 2010 Women’s World Championships. She enjoyed a victorious outcome in her bout as well, winning a 13-7 decision over China’s Qinqin Yang. Jackson opened the bout on fire, and her 7-2 edge in the first round was the key to the bout. Her pace slowed in the second stanza and Jackson held a 10-4 lead at the halfway mark of the bout. Yang kept the bout even over the final two rounds, including a scoreless final round by both boxers and Jackson claimed the 13-7 victory to move on to the quarterfinal round at her first World Championships. Jackson will face North Korea’s Yong Ri Suk in Wednesday evening’s quarterfinal action.
Two U.S. boxers competed in the evening session, beginning with Wasson’s bout with Russian Svetlana Kosova. The welterweight bout was a strategic chess match as neither boxer recorded a scoring blow in the opening round. Wasson struck first in the second period and the bout moved into the halfway point with the American boxer holding a slim 1-0 lead. She began to find the mark in the third, scoring three points while Kosova recorded her first scoring blow. Wasson enjoyed a three-point lead as the final round began, and held the same advantage at the end of the bout, winning a 5-2 final decision. The American welterweight’s victory advances her on to quarterfinal competition against Australia’s Naomi Lee Fischer-Rasmussen.
Middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) didn’t enjoy the same ending as her teammates in the final U.S. bout of the day. Hearn took on The Netherland’s Nouchka Fontijn in her second World Championships bout on Monday night. Hearn kept the bout close through the first half of the contest, facing only a 6-4 disadvantage after two rounds. Yet the second half of the bout told a different story with Fontijn holding Hearn scoreless en route to a 14-4 victory for the Dutch boxer.
Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) will return to the ring on Tuesday afternoon to take on Thailand’s Peamwilai Laopeam, in her third bout of the tournament. Esparza will be the lone U.S. competitor on Tuesday and hopes to join her three U.S. teammates in the quarterfinal round with a win in Tuesday’s action. She is fresh off an upset victory over defending champion Kim Ok Hyang in Sunday’s preliminary competition.
For additional information on the event including live results and bracket sheets for all 10 weight divisions, go to http://aiba.org/en-US/womens/Womens2010.aspx.
U.S. Results
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec.Sudaporn Seesondee, THA, 8-0
125 lbs: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio/USA dec. Qinqin Yang, CHN, 13-7
152 lbs: Andrecia Wasson, Centerline, Mich./USA dec. Svetlana Kosova, RUS, 5-2
165 lbs: Nouchka Fontijn, NED, dec. Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky./USA, 14-4
Flyweight Marlen Esparza Upsets Reigning World Champion Kim Ok Hyang in Barbados
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) took the ring at the Sobers Sports Complex in Bridgetown, Barbados, with the weight of the world and her own medal hopes on her shoulders. Yet pressure is nothing new to Esparza, a five-time national champion and World Championships bronze medalist in the light flyweight division. Esparza would not be intimidated by World Champion Kim Ok Hyang of North Korea, and she proved her mettle as a top 2012 Olympic hopeful with a 12-7 victory over Hyang.
Although the bout took place in preliminary action, it was an early glimpse at two of the women who could vie for gold at the first Olympic Games for women’s boxing in London. It was Hyang striking first in the flyweight preliminary bout, scoring twice before Esparza could get on the board. Esparza quickly responded and pulled within a 3-2 margin after the opening round. “As always, I was really nervous before the bout,” Esparza said. “I knew that she was left handed and I had to concentrate on countering her straight left hand. I was down on points after the first round but I didn’t lose my confidence or think that I was going to lose.”
The bout remained close in the second round with the score tied at 5-5 with two rounds of boxing remaining. The second half of the bout belonged to Esparza. She grabbed her first lead in third round and pushed it to a 9-7 advantage as action moved into the final round. “It seemed like once I started scoring, she almost started to give up but she kept throwing punches.”
Esparza held the reigning world champion scoreless over the full two minutes of the fourth round and landed five scoring blows of her own to win a 12-7 decision and upset the North Korean. “I’m normally very aggressive but I’ve been working on being more patient instead of always being the aggressor and getting caught when I come in,” she said. “Today, I was patient and my counter punching was the key to the bout.”
As one of the three Olympic contested weight divisions, the flyweight class boasts a large number of competitors so despite the stiff opposition Esparza faced; she still must win four more times to take her first world title. Esparza will compete for a spot in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday afternoon when she takes on Asian Indoor Games winner Peamwla Laopeam of Thailand.
“This is definitely the biggest win of my career to this point,” Esparza said. “There have been other major wins like the win over Turkey where I had to come back from a big deficit, but as far as status and the level of opposition, this is the best I’ve ever done. I kept my head and ended up winning by five points. I’m really happy right now.”
Featherweight Jody Ann Weller (Pomona, N.Y.) and light heavyweight Tyler Lord-Wilder (Lansing, Mich.) both dropped their World Championships openers on Sunday evening. Weller lost her preliminary bout to Sweden’s Helena Falk, 14-3, and Lord-Wilder suffered a similar fate, dropping a 15-3 contest to Hungary’s Timea Nagy. The United States had won seven straight bouts prior to the losses in evening action.
Weller got off to a slow start in her bout with Falk and trailed by a 7-2 margin after the first four minutes of action. She couldn’t put a dent in her deficit in the final half of the bout and lost a 14-3 decision. Lord-Wilder kept her bout with Nagy close through the early-going, trailing by only one point after the opening round. However Nagy took control of the bout in the second and Lord-Wilder couldn’t reclaim the momentum, dropping the 15-3 final decision.
Four U.S. boxers will have the chance to start a new winning streak in Monday’s action. Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) will compete in her third bout of the tournament in afternoon action, when she takes on Thailand’s Sudaporn Seesondee. Light welterweight Cashmere Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio) will compete in her second contest of the event on Monday afternoon as well, as she battles China’s Qinqin Yang.
Two U.S. boxers will vie for their second consecutive tournament victories in Monday’s evening session. Welterweight Andrecia Wasson (Centerline, Mich.) will face Junior European Champion Svetlana Kosova of Russia and middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) will challenge the Netherland’s Nouchka Fontijn. A win in Monday’s competition will mean a berth in the quarterfinal round for all of the competitors.
For additional information on the event including live results and bracket sheets for all 10 weight divisions, go to http://aiba.org/en-US/womens/Womens2010.aspx.
U.S. Results
112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA dec. Kim Ok Hyang, PKR, 12-7
125 lbs: Helena Falk, SWE, dec. Jody Ann Weller, Pomona, N.Y./USA, 14-3
178 lbs: Timea Nagy, HUN, dec. Tyler Lord-Wilder, Lansing, Mich./USA,15-3
Queen Underwood Pulls Out a Tiebreaker Victory to Continue the U.S. Winning Streak at the Women’s World Championships
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – United States’ lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) enjoyed a quick opening bout in her 2010 Women’s World Championships debut, but the second win didn’t come quite as easily. Yet, the Seattle firefighter would not be denied in her bout with Tajikistan’s Mavzuna Chorieva on Saturday, winning a tiebreaker victory in second round action. Underwood’s second win of the event pushed the United States’ winning streak to six straight victories in Barbados.
Underwood and Chorieva faced off in the final bout of day three action at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, and the crowd on hand was primed and ready for the highly anticipated match-up between two of the medal favorites. The two boxers didn’t disappoint, battling in eight minutes of hotly-contested action. Following a slow-paced round that ended with the score tied at one, both boxers came out firing in the second. The competition was heated, even causing the referee to take a point from both athletes for a chest-bumping incident. Underwood wasn’t deterred by the deduction and claimed a slim 5-4 advantage after two rounds. She repeated her efforts in the third stanza of action to take a 7-5 lead into the final two minutes of boxing. Yet, Underwood couldn’t build on her lead in the fourth round and Chorieva mounted a sustained comeback to pull the bout to a 7-7 tie at the sound of the final bell. The boxers waited in suspense as the tiebreaker addition was completed before Underwood was named the victor on her one point individual score advantage.
The victory advances Underwood on to third round competition where she will take on Thailand’s Sudaporn Seesondee on Monday afternoon. Light welterweight Cashmere Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio) will return to action on Monday afternoon as well, battling China’s Qinqin Yang in her second preliminary bout of the tournament.
Two U.S. boxers will compete in Monday’s evening session with welterweight Andrecia Wasson (Centerline, Mich.) facing Junior European Champion Svetlana Kosova of Russia and middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) taking on the Netherland’s Nouchka Fontijn. A win in Monday’s competition will mean a berth in the quarterfinal round for all of the competitors.
Sunday’s tournament competition will feature three U.S. boxers, including two former World Championships medalists. 2005 World Championships light flyweight bronze medalist Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) will compete for her second win of the event in a second round bout with reigning World Champion Kim Ok Hyang of North Korea. 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Tyler Lord-Wilder (Lansing, Mich.) and featherweight Jody Ann Weller (Pomona, N.Y.) will compete in Sunday evening action, taking on Hungary’s Timea Nagy and European Championships bronze medalist Sweden’s Helena Falk respectively. A Lord-Wilder victory will secure a quarterfinal berth for the light heavyweight due to the smaller number of competitors in the division.
For additional information on the event including live scoring, current results, and bracket sheets for all 10 weight divisions, go to http://aiba.org/en-US/womens/Womens2010.aspx.
U.S. Results
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec. Mavzuna Chorieva, TJK,7-7 (one point tiebreaker)
Team USA’s Louie Byrd Avenges Early Losses to Claim One of Four U.S. Victories at USA vs. Italy Dual II
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Teams from the United States in Italy competed in the final USA vs. Italy dual on Saturday night at the Lyrick Theatre in Assisi, Italy. The international dual event highlighted a day focused on commemorating the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The two squads took the ring following multiple ceremonies with both teams and local dignitaries to honor the memory of those lost on September 11, 2001.
The U.S. team fell just short of tying the host delegation in the second dual with four American boxers claiming victories and light welterweight Pedro Sosa (Bronx, N.Y.) boxing to an 8-8 tie. Middleweight Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.) and super heavyweight Lenroy “Cam” Thompson (Uniondale, N.Y.) both recorded their second straight wins in the night’s action while light flyweight Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) and Joseph Diaz Jr., (El Monte, Calif.) avenged their losses in Wednesday’s competition.
The U.S. team enjoyed extra motivation as they took the ring, and Byrd used it to his advantage in his contest with Italy’s Alex Ferramosca. The Italian boxer won the two previous meetings between the two, but Byrd prevented the three-peat with a convincing 22-11 victory over Ferramosca on Saturday night.
In the third bout of the evening, Diaz, Jr. rebounded nicely from his one point loss to Italy’s Ciro Cipriano in Wednesday’s dual action. The 17-year-old national champion won a 9-4 decision over Cipriano in the rematch for his first senior division international victory.
Arias suffered a two-point deficit as his bout with Italy’s Luca Podda went into the third round, but he battled back over the final three minutes to claim a two-point lead of his own at the sound of the final bell. Arias’s efforts earned him a 14-12 victory over Podda and his second win of the European Challenge.
Team USA closed the event in victorious fashion with Thompson winning a 9-4 decision over Italy’s Francesco Rossano of Italy in their super heavyweight contest. Thompson joins Arias as the only two U.S. boxers to go undefeated in USA vs. Italy action.
Two U.S. boxers faced off with Italian Olympians in the second USA vs. Italy dual. The United States’ own two-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) took on 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Vincenzo Piccardi of Italy, in his first USA vs. Italy bout. Yet, t was the host nation boxer claiming the victory by aN 11-9 margin in highly anticipated match-up between the two flyweight Olympians.
Heavyweight Steve Geffrard (Boca Raton, Fla.) faced a large step up in competition from his Wednesday victory in the form of 2008 Olympic silver medalist Clemente Russo. Geffrard kept the contest close but dropped a 9-7 decision to Russo to move his USA vs. Italy dual record to 1-1.
Pedro Sosa (Bronx, N.Y.) hoped to grab the victory in his rematch with Italy’s Dario Vangeli, but he settled for the next best thing in their light welterweight contest. Sosa and Vangeli boxed to an 8-8 tie at the end of the nine minutes of boxing to give Sosa a draw.
Welterweight Alex Martin (Crest Hill, Ill.) enjoyed one of the four U.S. victories in Wednesday’s action but he couldn’t duplicate the win in his second bout with new opponent Vincenzo Mangiacapre of Italy. Martin dropped a 10-7 decision to Mangiacapre to go 1-1 in USA vs. Italy dual action.
Lightweight Jose Ramirez (Avenal, Calif.) faced off with a new opponent on Saturday as well, taking on Italy’s Donato Cosenza in the second dual. Yet once again, he came up on the short end of the scoreboard, dropping a 13-6 decision to Cosenza. Light heavyweight Jeffrey Spencer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took on Italy’s Simone Fiori for the second straight bout, and fell just one point short of avenging his earlier loss. Spencer lost a slim 5-4 decision to Fiori, who has now won four straight over American opponents.
Al Simpson (Charlotte, N.C.), Gene Vivero (Dallas, Texas), and Anthony Chase (Marietta, Ga.) worked as the U.S. coaches for the European Challenge. Kevin Franklin (McDonough, Ga.) and Joe Sanchez (Darien, Ill.) served as the AIBA officials for the event with Dr. Martha Dodson (El Paso, Texas) working as the Team Physician.
The Italian federation and local officials were excellent hosts to the United States delegation, and placed critical importance on the commemoration of September 11. During the afternoon ceremony at La Strada Della Mattonata, a pathway displaying the names of the September 11 victims; the U.S. team stopped and honored the name, Timothy Higgins, a New York firefighter killed while on duty and the brother of top U.S. coach, Joe Higgins.
The U.S. team will return to the United States on Sunday, concluding a nearly three week trip to Europe, which included training camps in both Great Britain and Italy and two dual events.
USA vs. Italy Dual II Results
108 lbs: Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo./USA, dec. Alex Ferramosca, Italy, 22-11
114 lbs: Vincenzo Picardi, Italy, dec. Rau’shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio/USA, 11-9
123 lbs: Joseph Diaz Jr., El Monte, Calif./USA, dec. Ciro Cipriano, Italy, 9-4
132 lbs: Donato Cosenza, Italy, dec. Jose Ramirez, Avenal, Calif./USA, 13-6
141 lbs: Pedro Sosa, Bronx, N.Y./USA draws with Dario Vangeli, Italy, 8-8
152 lbs: Vincenzo Mangiacapre, Italy, dec. Alex Martin, Crest Hill, Ill./USA, 10-7
165 lbs: Luis Arias, Milwaukee, Wis/USA., dec. Luca Podda, Italy, 14-12
178 lbs: Simone Fiori, Italy, dec. Jeffrey Spencer, Colorado Springs, Colo./USA, 5-4
201 lbs: Clemente Russo, Italy, dec. Steve Geffrard, Boca Raton, FL, 9-7
201+ lbs: Lenroy ‘Cam’ Thompson, Uniondale, N.Y./USA, dec. Francesco Rossano, Italy, 9-4