Tag Archives: 2012 Women’s Olympic Boxing

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/12/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/12/12! — Updated!

Next up is the wow of a huge day of competition! 

Maike Kluners, Germany (Red) v. Maiva Hamadouche, France (Blue), 5/11/12, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Bouts in the Olympic Flyweight, Lightweight and Middleweight divisions dominate today’s AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Quinhuangdao, China.

If you are a fan of the USA Boxing team, that means two fantastic fights!

In the 75kg division, American Olympic hopeful Claressa Shields, has already won her first preliminary bout by decision against India’s, Pooja Rani.  The final score was 27:10.  Shields dominated her opponent throughout the bout.  Her next fight will be against England’s Savannah Marshall on May 14th.

Seattle’s own Olympic trials champion, AIBA #7 ranked Queen Underwood just won her preliminary bout over Dayana Sanchez of Argentina. The unanimous decision was scored 24:13. Underwood dominated her fight over all four rounds as well!  She fights next in the Sweet 16 on May 14th.

As for Marlen Esparza, she received a BYE and will compete next in the sweet 16!

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/12/12:

5:12:12 Full Bout Roster

Click here for full results for 5/11/12:

5:11:12 Results Session 1A

5:11:12 Results Session 1B

AIBA’s article link is here:  India’s Chanu opens proceedings with a bang in Qinhuangdao

Beyond exciting! Women’s World Championship is underway!

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>>>>Update>>>>

And the winner by decision is … USA’s Raquel Miller (69kg), 17:8 over New Zealand’s Daena Stephenson. Raquel led throughout all four rounds. Next up for Raquel is bout # 130 against Canadian boxer Myriam Da Silva Rondeau on May 13, 2012 @ 5:00 PM Local Time.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Beyond exciting! The 2012 AIBA Women’s World Championship is underway!

Yep, you got it! The women’s world championship is underway with the first 16 bouts set to be fought today in the 57KG and 69KG weight divisions.

And yes, I’m partial, so for USA fans out there, Raquel Miller, the 69KG USA Boxing champion is set to fight New Zealand’s own Daena Stephenson in bout # 15. As for tomorrow, in the 75KG division, Olympic hopeful Claressa Shields is set to fight in bout #45 against, Indian fighter, Pooja Rani.

The 60KG will also begin with Seattle’s own Olympic trials champion Queen Underwood fighting Dayana Sanchez of Argentina in bout # 67.

By the way, did you know there are fully 343 women participating from 77 countries! That is extraordinary!!!

The full list of today’s bouts is as follows!

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2012

gallery
Session Bout Start Time Weight cat. Corner Name Nat day date
1 1 20:00 57 kg blue corner Ranic BOJANA SRB 2 11.05.2012
red corner Mandakini Chanu KANGABAM IND
1 2 20:00 57 kg blue corner Skye NICOLSON AUS 2 11.05.2012
red corner Chia-Ling Chen TPE
1 3 20:00 57 kg blue corner Gabriela DINCA ROU 2 11.05.2012
red corner Jian Qin CHN
1 4 20:00 57 kg blue corner Nagehan GUL TUR 2 11.05.2012
red corner Svetlana Kamenova STANEVA BUL
1 5 20:00 57 kg blue corner Saniya SULTANKYZY KAZ 2 11.05.2012
red corner Khouloud HLIMI TUN
1 6 20:00 57 kg blue corner Kornelia Kitti NAGY HUN 2 11.05.2012
red corner Cynthia Andrea ROBLES DE LA TORRE MEX
1 9 20:00 57 kg blue corner Rebah Matanda KEN 2 11.05.2012
red corner Nana YOSHIKAWA JPN
1 10 20:00 57 kg blue corner Marie O’NEILL NZL 2 11.05.2012
red corner Iuliia TSYPLAKOVA UKR
1 11 20:00 57 kg blue corner Melissa GUILLEMETTE CAN 2 11.05.2012
red corner Sarah MAHFOUD DEN
1 12 20:00 57 kg blue corner Thi Vy VUONG VIE 2 11.05.2012
red corner Anamarija VUJAKLIJA CRO
1 13 20:00 57 kg blue corner Maike KLUENERS GER 2 11.05.2012
red corner Maiva HAMADOUCHE FRA
1 14 20:00 57 kg blue corner Victoria GURKOVICH RUS 2 11.05.2012
red corner Piroska BODOKI SVK
1 7 20:00 69 kg blue corner Neetu IND 2 11.05.2012
red corner Bianka NAGY HUN
1 8 20:00 69 kg blue corner Moldir BAZARBAYEVA KAZ 2 11.05.2012
red corner Florina Marinella RADU ROU
1 15 20:00 69 kg blue corner Raquel E. MILLER USA 2 11.05.2012
red corner Daena STEPHENSON NZL
1 16 20:00 69 kg blue corner Irina Poteyeva RUS 2 11.05.2012
red corner Marija DIVJAK SRB

2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships set for May 9 – May 20!

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2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships set for May 9 – May 20!


Talk about exciting, the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will be taking place in Qinhuangdao, China. The event will not only determine the world championship status in the competing weight classes but is the *only* qualifying event for this summer’s historic debut of Women’s Boxing at the London 2012 Olympics in the three Olympic weight divisions.

Marlen Esparza, Claressa Shields, Queen Underwood, 2012 USA Boxing Olympic Trials Champions, Credit: James Snook/US Presswire

Competitors from all of the world will be arriving in China to face off against each other in the tournament. USA Boxing’s full field of National Champions is set to leave on May 3rd. The team includes the three Olympic hopefuls, Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and Claressa Shields, representing the flyweight, lightweight and middleweight divisions respectively.

Under the rules of the Olympic qualifying event portion of the competition, only the top eight competitors in each of the Olympic weight divisions will be selected to represent their nations in the Olympics this summer.

This year’s tournament is the seventh AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. The first was held in in late 2001 in Scranton, PA, USA.

Notable luminaries from that first tournament included Sweden’s Frida Wallberg who won a gold medal in the 63.5kg weight class and France’s Myriam Lamare who won the silver. Both of these remarkable athletes have carved out fantastic professional careers. Mary Kom, who will be vying for an Olympic berth on India’s Team also competed in 2001, winning a silver medal in the 48KG division.

Barbados 2010, Lightweight Medal Winners

The last AIBA sponsored Women’s World Championship (the 6th) was held in Barbardos in September of 2010.

Among other memorable bouts, Ireland’s Katie Taylor (blue) defeated Cheng Dong (red) of China for the 60KG Lightweight Gold Medal.

AIBA World Women’s Rankings!

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AIBA World Women’s Rankings!

AIBA, the International Boxing Association, has come out with their first world rankings. The rankings are based on AIBA’s scoring formula as of April 1, 2012.  It makes for interesting reading ahead of the 2012 Women’s World Championships especially as the top eight of each of the Olympic weight categories will be selected to compete at the Olympics in July. It should be noted that the rankings do not reflect the recently completed 2012 Women’s Elite Continental Boxing Championships.

Here are the top five in each of the Olympic weight categories:

51 KG Top Five Rankings

51KG, #1 Ranked, Ren Cancan, China

   #1. Ren Cancan, China

   #2. Nicola Adams, England

   #3. Alice Kate Aparri, Philippines

   #4. Karolina Michalczuk, Polank

   #5. Tetyana Kob, Ukraine

USA Boxing champion Marlen Esparza is ranked 7th overall, just behind India’s great champion Mary Kom who is ranked 6th.

60 KG Top Five Rankings

60 KG, #1 Ranked, Katie Taylor, Ireland, Credit: ©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan

 #1. Katie Taylor, Ireland

   #2. Cheng Dong, China

   #3. Karolina Graczyk, Polank

   #4. Adriana Araujo, Brazil

   #5. Quanitta (Queen) Underwood, USA

75 KG Top Five Rankings

75 KG, #1 Ranked, Mary Spencer, Canada, Credit: Nathan Denette/CP

   #1. Mary Spencer, Canada

   #2. Nadezhada Torlopova, Russia

   #3. Jinzi Li, China

   #4. Rosell Feitosa, Brazil

   #5. Lilya Durnnyeva, Ukraine

Undefeated USA Boxing champion Claressa Shields is ranked 9th overall.

Shields defeated Spencer in the recently concluded Women’s Elite Continental Boxing Championships.


Women’s boxing: all eyes on Canada

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>>>UPDATE!!!

Congratulations to the Women’s Elite Continental Boxing Champions!!!

Alex Love-48kg (USA), Marlen Esparza-51kg (USA), Clelia Costa-54kg (Brazil), Tiara Brown-57kg (USA), Adriana Araujo-64kg (Brazil), Mikaela Mayer-64kg (USA), Miriam da Silva-69kg (Canada), Claressa Shields-75kg (USA), Franchon Crews-81kg (USA), Erika Cabrera-+81kg (Brazil)!!!

Women’s boxing: all eyes on Canada …

The Women’s Elite Continental Boxing Championships have been underway in Cornwall, Ontario since April 4th and will run through April 7th.  Amateur women’s boxing champions from as far away as Argentina and Brazil and including teams from Jamaica, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, Puerto Rico, the United States and Canada have been competing their hearts out.

The tournament has been a preview of the caliber of women’s boxing we can expect in next month’s world championships in China, and importantly, a preview of sorts of how women in the Olympic weight classes will fare.

More importantly, as women’s boxing fever begins to rise, it is offering people who are less familiar with the sport the opportunity to become “infected” by the incredible boxing skills these extraordinary women are  demonstrating night after night.

As always, it seems, women who box do so “wall-to-wall” with barely an opportunity to breathe, never mind allow the action to stop.   As Puerto Rico’s Tiffany Perez who lost a heartbreaker last night put it in an interview with a Canadian paper, “ Women’s boxing is important because women are always the underdogs and this makes them stronger and more determined.” Article link here.

Tonight’s finals will be no exception, pitting the best of that North and South America have to offer for the world to see.  Give yourself a treat and watch the bouts starting at 7:00 PM EST:  Go Fight Live TV

Bout Roster – Finals 7:00 PM EST

(48kg) RED-LOVE Alexandra USA v.  BLUE-CRUZ Claribel ARG
(51kg) RED-ESPARZA Marlen USA v. BLUE-MATOS Erica BRA
(54kg) RED-BENAVIDEZ Yanina ARG  v.  BLUE-COSTA Clelia BRA
(57kg) RED-SANCHEZ Leonela ARG  v. BLUE-BROWN Tiara USA
(60kg) RED-ARAUJO Adriana BRA v. BLUE-SANCHEZ Dayana ARG
(64kg) RED-SILVA Roselaine BRA v. BLUE-MAYER Mikaela USA
(69kg) RED-GITTENS Kimberly BAR v. BLUE-da SILVA Myriam CAN
(75kg) RED-SHIELDS Claressa USA v. BLUE-SPENCER Mary CAN
(81kg) RED BERGERON Maude CAN v. BLUE CREWS-Franchon USA
(+81kg) RED CABRERA Erika BRA v. BLUE-PEREZ Victoria USA


Mia St. John and Mary Kom: Female Boxers in the news …

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Mia St. John and Mary Kom: Female Boxers in the news …

From barely a trickle of stories about women’s boxing, there is a fair amount of press — all over the world about women’s boxing.  Here are stories featuring American boxer Mia St. John and India’s great amateur Olympic hopeful Mary Kom!

Mia St. John has granted an exclusive interview to Jake Emen over at Proboxingfans.com on her upcoming June 19th battle against the great Christy Martin.  Here’s a smattering of the interview …

“You’ve been fighting professionally since 1997, so it’s been 15 years. How much longer will you continue to fight, and is there any way this is your last fight?

Mia: I have to fight Christy one more time after this! We have to do the rubber match! Other than that, I’m done. I’ve lived out dream and it was a hell of a ride.”

The article link is here.

India’s leading contender for Gold in the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games — with a eye first on winning a berth to the 2012 Women’s World Championships this coming May in China is none other than Mary Kom.  The five time amateur champion has recently upped her weight class to 51 KG  in order to compete.  She is currently a participant in the 6th Asian Women’s Boxing Championships being held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia where she has advanced to the quarter finals.

This recent piece entitled India’s Mary Kom keeps proving doubters wrong is particularly revealing of her struggles to become a world-class boxing champion and is well worth the read.  Here is a brief preview …

“When I started boxing, people laughed at me and said, ‘What can women do in boxing?’” she said. “I took it as a challenge. If men can do it why can’t women? And I became a world champion before my marriage.

“When I got married, they doubted if I can win again after marriage. I took it as the second challenge and proved myself.”

The article link is here.

India Today also has a story on Mary Kom entitled Boxing: Mary Kom off to a winning start about her quarterfinal win.

Smackdowning down the boundaries of the ring: Women’s Boxing and MMA!

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Smackdowning down the boundaries of the ring: Women’s Boxing and MMA!

Ronda Rousey vs. Miescha Tate, March 3, 2012, Credit: Greg Bartram/US Presswire

Saturday night, Strikeforce aired a fabulous night of MMA bouts on Showtime that included Ronda Rousey’s (5-0) stunning take down of women’s bantamweight title holder Miesha Tate (12-2) with an armbar submission 4:27 into the first round.  In Rousey’s crowning as the new MMA bantamweight champion, heads are turning because of the high caliber of the effort both of these women put into the fight, but the “chops” they brought with them.  Rousey is a an Olympic Bronze Medalist in Judo, and Tate has been a sure-fire crowd pleaser since entering the ring.  Sarah Kaufman’s efforts against Alexis Davis were also hailed as “good” MMA.

So here’s the question: Where is women’s boxing in all of this?

Don’t get me wrong, it is FABULOUS to see MMA being promoted and aired as part of Showtime’s Strikeforce franchise and equally fabulous to read the positive press. David Casitlllo’s piece in The Bloody Elbow.com is a case in point, entitled Strikeforce Tate vs. Rousey Results: Why Women’s MMA Belongs In The Ring, includes the statement, “Rousey just “gets” MMA. There’s a brilliance to her game that reveals itself in the way she transitions. In understanding that each shift from one phase to the next is an opportunity. And that a takedown can be a sequence rather than a precession.”

What we are not seeing is the willingness of Showtime, HBO and ESPN to air these elite female fighters on their boxing shows.  It’s not as if the caliber of fighting isn’t there!  Flash back to the incredible displays of boxing prowess at the women’s Olympic Team Trials for one, but more importantly, take a look at the professional women who box their hearts out for a pittance, grateful for the opportunity to box at all nevermind a chance at a video stream.

Amanda "The Real Deal" Serrano and Ela "Bam Bam" Nunez after "fight of the year" contender

And if you’re looking for a case in point, look no further than undefeated IBF female super featherweight title holder Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano’s (14-0-1, 9-KOs) February 17th effort against Ela ‘Bam Bam’ Nunez (11-13-2) in an eight round co-main event non-title bout in Chicago. Boxing websites such as Philboxing.com are calling the battle an early contender for “fight of the year” status, but otherwise, it’s not as if the offers are pouring in to Serrano who puts on that caliber of fight EVERY TIME she enters the ring.

The fight was streamed live and for free on 360boxing.com, and for those lucky enough to watch the fight, it was a boxing treat albeit, within the parameters of a video stream with lagging images and breakups.  Imagine how much better and more exciting it would have been if it had also been promoted on Showtime?

So again, what’s the deal?  How about putting women’s MMA and Women’s Boxing on the airways!  And P. S., female boxers are VERY capable of fighting three-minute rounds!

In case you missed it, here’s the Serrano v. Nunez February 17, 2012 fight.  You be the judge.

Female 2012 USA Boxing National Champions Crowned!

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Female 2012 USA Boxing National Champions Crowned!

Mikaela Mayer winning the 2012 USA National Championship at 141 lbs., Credit: Mark Mayer

Alex Love (106 lbs), Christina Cruz (119 lbs),Tiara Brown (125 lbs), Mikaela Mayer (141 lbs), Raquel Miller (152 lbs), and Franchon Crews (178 lbs), each veterans of the first-ever female Olympic Trials and each competing in a non-Olympic weight class, will be representing the US once again at the 2012 Women’s World Championships as winners of the 2012 USA Boxing National Championships in their respective weight classes.  They will reunite with the three US Olympic Trials champions, Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and Claressa Shields, to round out the US team.

Mikaela Mayer had the additional honor of being name the outstanding female boxer of the 2012 USA Boxing National tournament.

Girlboxing sends a huge shout out to these remarkable women for their accomplishments!

Saturday’s Championship Results

5 p.m. session – Winners will go on to the 2012 Women’s World Championships in China this coming May 2012!

106 lbs/female: Alex Love, Monroe, Wash., dec. Lisa Ha, Honolulu, Hawaii, 26-13

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., 22-7

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., 20-17

141 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio, 20-16

152 lbs/female: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., 10-5

178 lbs/female: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec. Tiffanie Hearn, San Diego, Calif., 27-17

178+ lbs/unopposed female: Victor Perez won unopposed

1 p.m. – Olympic Weight Classes

112 lbs/female: Ayesha Green, Trenton, N.J., dec. Anissa Vasquez, Fort Worth, Texas, 26-7

132 lbs/female: Emily Dagnan, Jasper, Tenn., dec. Katie Brunacini, Los Angeles, Calif., 16-9

165 lbs/female: Fallon Farrar, Staten Island, N.Y., dec. Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va., 22-15

Gaining spots in the Finals @ 2012 USA Boxing Nationals!

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Gaining spots in the Finals @ 2012 USA Boxing Nationals!

Tiara Brown, Credit: Sue Jaye Johnson

The roster for the 2012 USA Boxing finals is set with finalists including Olympic Team Trials contenders Christina Cruz (119 lbs), Alex Love (106 lbs), Tiara Brown (125 lbs), Mikaela Mayer (141 lbs), Raquel Miller (152 lbs), Tiffanie Hearn (178 lbs) and Franchon Crews (178 lbs). 

There will be two championship sessions today.  The three women’s Olympic weight classes will compete in final action at 1 p.m. with the remaining weight divisions, which are each advancing on to major international tournaments, boxing at 6 p.m. at the Fort Carson Special Events Center.

Today’s Championship round bout sheet is as follows:

1 p.m.

112 lbs/female: Anissa Vasquez, Fort Worth, Texas vs. Ayesha Green, Trenton, N.J.

132 lbs/female: Emily Dagnan, Jasper, Tenn., vs. Katie Brunacini, Los Angeles, Calif.

165 lbs/female: Fallon Farror, Staten Island, N.Y., vs. Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va.
6 p.m.

106 lbs/female: Alex Love, Monroe, Wash., vs. Lisa Ha, Honolulu, Hawaii

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., vs. Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, California

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., vs. Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass.

141 lbs/female: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio vs. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif.

152 lbs/female: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., vs. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif.

178 lbs/female: Tiffanie Hearn, San Diego, Calif., vs. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md.

Friday’s Semifinal Results

106 lbs/female: Lisa Ha, Honolulu, Hawaii dec. Marina Ramirez, Sacramento, Calif., 20-14

106 lbs/female: Alex Love, Monroe, Wash., dec. Amy Sowers, Bozeman, Mont., 22-13

112 lbs/female: Ayesha Green, Trenton, N.J., dec. Maryguenn Vellinga, Salt Lake City, Utah, 10-7

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Ayanna Vasquez, Las Cruces, N.M., 16-13

119 lbs/female: Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 25-18

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Kirstie Simmons, Aurora, Colo., 21-9

125 lbs/female: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., dec. Karla Herrera, Los Angeles, Calif., 14-12

132 lbs/female: Emily Dagnan, Jasper, Tenn., dec. Karla Herrera, Los Angeles, Calif., 19-10

132 lbs/male: Jose Ramirez, Avenal, Calif., dec. Kenneth Sims, Jr., Chicago, Ill., 27-14

132 lbs/male: Raynell Williams, Cleveland, Ohio dec. Toka Kahn Clary, Providence, R.I., 21-20

141 lbs/female: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio dec. Ariel Beck, Helena, Mont., 22-5

141 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Christella Cepeda, Yonkers, N.Y., 21-5

152 lbs/female: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Tara Weisshaar, Burlington, Colo., 29-2

152 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Alicia Napoleon, Lingdenhurst, N.J., 24-5

178 lbs/female: Tiffanie Hearn, San Diego, Calif., stopped Kendra Minnis, St. Louis, Mo., RSC

178 lbs/female: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., stopped Denise Rico, Los Angeles, Calif., RSC

2012 USA Boxing National Championships! First Women’s Bouts!

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2012 USA Boxing National Championships!  First Women’s Bouts! 

Christina Cruz, Credit: Rose Arce / CNN

The USA Boxing 2012 Nationals got underway on February 25, but February 29th marked the first female bouts!

Action included some fabulous fights by women who recently completed in the Olympic Trials including a win by New York’s own Christina Cruz fighting at 119 lbs. who took a 15-4 decision over Rianna Rios of Alice, Texas.  California’s Mikaela Mayer moving up in weight to 141 lbs. won in retirement over Patricia Cuevas of San Antonio, Texas, while Yonkers, NY fighter Bertha Aracil pulled out a close win over fellow Olympic Trials teammate Lisa Porter of Northridge, California, 17-15.  They also moved up in weight to the 141 lbs. class.

In one of the big surprises of the yesterday’s preliminary round sixteen-year-old female featherweight Rashida Ellis of Lynn, Mass. stopped Olympic Trials lightweight participant from Washington, DC, Asia Stevenson in the first round to claim a spot in the quarterfinal round in the 125 lb. weight class.  Another tough one saw Olympic Trials veteran Virginia Fuchs of Kemah, Texas losing a tough one against Ayanna Vasquez from Las Cruces, NM who took the decision by a score of 25-23.

By the way, get set for a great one at the 11:00 AM session today when Gleason’s own Heather Hardy will fight her first bout of the competition against Olympic Trials hopeful Tiara Brown in the 125 lb. weight class.

All bouts are streamed live — for a fee.  The link is here.

The results for Wednesday’s female bouts are as follows:

119 lbs/female: Carissa Morton, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Lindsay Bartels, Omaha, Neb., 43-22

119 lbs/female: Ayanna Vasquez, Las Cruces, N.M., dec. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, 25-23

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Rianna Rios, Alice, Texas, 15-4

119 lbs/female: Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., dec. Maria Vizcaino, Watsonville, Calif., 18-11

119 lbs/female: Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., dec. Patricia Cuevas, San Antonio, Texas, 46-19

125 lbs/female: Jennifer Hamman, Seattle, Wash., dec. Jayli Fimbres, North Dakota, 16-11

125 lbs/female: Kirstie Simmons, Aurora, Colo., dec. Maira Madrigal, Wentachee, Wash., 31-10

125 lbs/female: Tameka Montgomery, Pennsylvania won on walkover over Shanne Ruelas, Fresno,
Calif., W/O

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., won on walkover over Kymmberli Stowe, Philadelphia, Pa., W/O

125 lbs/female: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., stopped Asia Stevenson, Washington DC, RSC

125 lbs/female: Karla Herrera, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Elizabeth Leddy, Portland, Maine, 20-12

125 lbs/female: Amorena Baca, Denver, Colo., dc. Amber Blumenfeld, Springfield, Vt., 17-10

141 lbs/female: Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., dec. Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif., 17-15

141 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., won on retirement over Dianeya Nodarse, Tampa Bay, Fla., RET

141 lbs/female: Griselda Madrigal, Wentachee, Wash., dec. Amber Smith, Ft. Worth, Texas, 20-19

141 lbs/female: Christella Cepeda, Yonkers, N.Y., dec. Earnestine Wesley, Garland, Texas, 29-13

Thursday bout sheets are as follows:

11 a.m. session

106 lbs/female: Amy Sowers, Bozeman, Mont., vs. Cheyenne Candelaria, Albuquerque, N.M.

106 lbs/female: Nicole Pasillas, Aurora, Colo.,vs. Alex Love, Monroe, Wash.

106 lbs/female: Lisa Ha, Honolulu, Hawaii vs. Victoria Quilantan, Houston, Texas

106 lbs/female: Kianna Richardson, Fort Worth, Texas, vs. Marina Ramirez, Sacramento, Calif

125 lbs/female: Heather Hardy, New York, N.Y., vs. Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla.

125 lbs/female: Kirstie Simmons, Aurora, Colo., vs. Jennifer Hamann, Seattle, Wash.

125 lbs/female: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., vs. Tameka Montgomery, Pennsylvania

125 lbs/female: Amorena Baca, Denver, Colo., vs. Karla Herrera, Los Angeles, Calif.

5 p.m. session

119 lbs/female: Haley Pasion, Aiea, Hawaii vs. Ayanna Vasquez, Las Cruces, N.M.

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., vs. Carissa Morton, San Francisco, Calif.

119 lbs/female: Nephateria Miller, New Haven, Conn., vs. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass.

119 lbs/female: Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., vs. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass.

141 lbs/female: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio vs. Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y.

141 lbs/female: Griselda Madrigal, Wenatchee, Wash., vs. Ariel Beck, Helena, Mont.

141 lbs/female: Jessica McCaskill, St. Louis, Mo., vs. Christella Cepeda, Yonkers, N.Y.

141 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Luvisa Matali, Denver, Colo.

152 lbs/female: Tamika palmer, Pennsylvania vs. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif.

152 lbs/female: Alicia Napoleon, Lingdenhurst, N.Y., vs. Jessica Francois, Washington DC

 

 

 

Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields: Recent press for our Olympic boxing heroines

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Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields: Recent press for U. S. Olympic boxing heroines

Marlen Esparza, Claressa Shields, Queen Underwood, 2012 Olympic Trials Champions, Credit: James Snook/US Presswire

Gosh!  Has the United States finally woken up to the fact that women can actually box!!!

A spate of articles following the triumphs of Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and 16- year-old Claressa Shields at the first-ever U. S. women’s boxing Olympic trials certainly seems to have brought home the fact that this generation of female amateur fighters are forces to be reckoned with in and out of the ring.

Here are some links to some truly to some recent press on these amazing women!

Marlen Esparza – Flyweight Olympic Contender

Marlen Esparza throwing an upper cut to Tyrieshia Douglas who announced she is turning pro. Credit: AP

One Step Closer to her Olympic dream – CNN by Elizabeth M. Nunez

Houston’s Marlen Esparza wins US women’s boxing trials – KHOU.com/AP

Queen Underwood – Lightweight Olympic Contender

Queen Underwood in her corner, Credit: Sue Jaye Johnson

Local boxer Queen Underwood on Q it Up Sports – Video piece from Q13 Fox Sports.

Queen Underwood shifts her attention to worlds – Queen’s blog on ESPN-W

The Living Nightmare, Quanitta Underwood: A Contender for Olympic Gold and a Survivor – New York Times by Barry Bearak

Claressa Shields – Middleweight Olympic Contender

Claressa Shields, Credit: Sue Jaye Johnson

Straight Out of Flint: Girl Boxer Aims For Olympics – NPR radio segment plus pictures and story.

Teen Contender Claressa Shields: Women Box Podcast from WNYC – Women Box Podcast segment

Video: Claressa ‘T-Rex” Shields’ Olympic Boxing trials championship is capped off with a magical Flint homecoming – Mlive.com by Eric Woodyard

To skirt or not to skirt: Choice is the answer!

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To skirt or not to skirt: choice is the answer!

Marzia Davide (Red) and Usha Nagisetty, 9/12/2009, Credit: Alberto Pizzoli, AFP/Getty Images

Score one for common sense and the best intentions of each member team of the International Amateur Boxing Association (“AIBA”):  rather than requiring female boxers to wear skirts compulsorily, the AIBA has made it optional, thanks no doubt to the over 58,000 signatures received from an online petition strongly opposed to the imposition of mandatory boxing skirts.

Dr. Wu, head of the AIBA spoke at the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport noting, “We have never asked the women to wear skirts, compulsorily … some women want to wear shorts and some want to wear skirts … So the decision we have made is that we shall make it optional because many boxers are undecided.”

Dr. Wu further noted that there had been concerns raised by certain of the national federations to the skirting question which led to the decision to make it optional based on the decision of each individual member group.

Given the vehement opposition of boxers such as Ireland’s lightweight champion Katie Taylor, the decision is a wise one.  The fact that the issue has come up at all at a time when the boxers should be focused on training in advance of the 2012 London summer games has been a distraction at best and a reminder of how far women’s boxing has yet to travel as an accepted sport.

For Americans who’ve just been treated to the first ever women’s boxing Olympic Trials this past week in Spokane, Washington, the news comes as a nice asterisk on a week of joyous celebration of the sport.  From the perspective of Girlboxing, we wish the issue had never surfaced, but given that the Polish national team has already adopted the boxing skirt as part of the uniform, we do welcome the decision as the wise course.

The Three Women’s Boxing U. S. Olympic Trials Champions: Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields!

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The Three Women’s Boxing U. S. Olympic Trials Champions: Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields!

Three Olympic Trials Champions, Marlen Esparza, Claressa Shields, Queen Underwood, Credit: USA Boxing

From the elite list of 24 women’s amateur boxing champions that came to Spokane, Washington to fulfill their Olympic dreams, it is now down to three:  Flyweight Champion, Marlen Esparza, Lightweight Champion, Queen Underwood and Middleweight Champion, Claressa Shields.

In a night of historic significance in the annals of the Olympic Sports movement and importantly, women’s sports these three champions gave everything in pursuit of their goal to represent the United States at the 2012 World Championships — with the hopes of grabbing a berth at the 2012 London Olympic Games this summer.

The non-stop action began with a thrilling battle between flyweights Marlen Esparza and challenger Tyrieshia Douglas.  Both fighters have met twice before in the USA Boxing National Championships finals, but it was Esparza’s night once again as she built up points round after round with her stinging outside/inside game and commanding ring generalship for a final score of 32-17.

Queen Underwood & Mikaela Mayer, 2/18/2012, Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Home town favorite and lighweight Olympic hopeful Queen Underwood, in her second U. S. Olympic Trials bout with challenger Mikaela Mayer fought another tough close bout through four rounds of tactical, smart fighting with her taller opponent. Mayer was able to get within three points of Underwood, but Queen prevailed with a final score of 22-19.

Claressa Shields & Tika Hemingway, 2/18/2012, Credit: James Snook/US Presswire

In the final bout of the evening, 16-year-old middleweight, Claressa Shields, continued her unbeaten record in her bruising battle with Tika Hemingway.  This was also their second meeting in the U. S. Olympic Trials. Shields fought off a constant onslaught from Hemingway which saw her pushed into the ropes, however, through sheer nerve and power she was able to claim victory with a 23-18 decision.  Claressa was also named the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament to round out her evening of triumph.

Even in victory, the three champions must prepare for the road ahead: a tough series of matches at the 2012 Women’s World Championships in China.  The Tournament will begin in early May and only the the top eight in each weight class will qualify for the London Olympics.  According to USA Boxing, “a tripartite commission will select an additional four in each of the three weight divisions that will advance to London.”  

Let us all lend our support to these outstanding women as they work towards achieving their historical goals of being the first representatives of the United States to compete in a women’s boxing event at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Press coverage includes the following:

USA Boxing, Greg Beacham/AP for the Seattle Times, Washington Post, ESPN, Los Angeles Times, Flint Journal and Spokesman-Review. 

In case you missed any of the action, you can watch videos of the historical tournament here.

U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing Finals Results

112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., 32-17

132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., dec. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., 22-19

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa. 23-18

Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Six, 2/18/2012!

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Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Six, 2/18/2012!

Tyrieshia Douglas battling Christina Cruz, 2/17/12, Credit: AP

And then there were three!  Challengers that is for tonight’s Championship round in this double elimination tournament.
Last night’s action was all about determination and slogging through the fatigue of what was for some, their fifth bout in as many days!
Flyweight boxer Tyrieshia Douglas faced Christina Cruz for the second time, but was able to edge out Cruz with focus and grit through the first three rounds.  With her laser-like accuracy and a heart that wouldn’t quit Douglas pulled ahead of Cruz in the final round and won with a score of 22-14.  Tyrieshia earned the right to face Marlen Esparza tonight.
Lightweights Mikaela Mayer and N’yteeyah Sherman both fought a confident, highly skilled, technical battle with not dissimilar styles.  N’yteeyah with the height advantage was able to pull head in the opening round, but Mayer was able to fight through to tie and eventually to grab the lead, taking the decision with a score of 26-25.  She will face Queen Underwood for the second time tonight.
For the middleweight contest, Tika Hemingway took control of the bout against Raquel Miller with quicker hands and a savvy ring style that saw her to set the pace.  Tika’s style also meant that she was able to gain a decisive lead from the first round on taking the decision with a final score of 21-6.  Tika will face Claressa Shields tonight in a repeat of their Thursday battle.
A word on double elimination:  Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and Claressa Shields will all be fighting as “winners” tonight.  That means if any of them lose the bout tonight, they will have the right to fight their opponents a second time on Sunday as “challengers”.  However, Tyrieshia Douglas, Mikaela Mayer and Tika Hemingway as tonight’s “challengers” must win in order to keep their Olympic dreams alive.

Press coverage includes the following:

USA Boxing, AP’s Greg Beacham in the Washington Post, FoxNews, Los Angeles Times, and Spokesman-Review. 

Tonight’s bouts can be viewed online at the link here.  By the way if you’ve missed any of the action, click on the link to watch previous night’s bouts!

Friday’s Challengers Bracket Finals Results
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., dec. Christina Cruz, 22-14
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. N’yteeyah Sherman, 26-24
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa., dec. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., 21-6
Saturday’s Championship Round Bout Sheet

112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas vs. Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md.
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., vs. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif.
165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., vs. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Five, 2/17/2012!

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Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Five, 2/17/2012!

Mikaela Mayer landing a left hook against Tiara Brown, 2/16/2012, Credit: Wally Skali / Los Angeles Times

Last night’s boxing efforts are why these exceptional women are called champions!

For the six fighters in the challengers bracket it meant overcoming losses and finding the courage to make the course corrections necessary to win.  For the champions in the winners bracket it meant stepping up to bring that much more of themselves and their ring saavy to come out on top.

In the first flyweight bout Marlen Esparza did just that.  She outfought Christina Cruz’s valiant effort by literally beating her to the punch through a mixture of sheer nerve and technical prowess.  Both fighters were rangy, cagey and filled with tactical brilliance, but it was Esparza who was able to pull out with a final score of 13-10.  Tyrieshia Douglas also proved that she was in the tournament to win with her decisive “never look back” win over Virginia Fuchs.  Both competitors were fierce, however, Douglas, who will fight Christina Cruz tonight for the right to go on to the finals on Saturday, never, ever let up through four rounds of boxing.  The final score was 31-19.

Queen Underwood also brought it last night in a tough, tough match that gave her rangy opponent N’yteeyah Sherman a one point edge through the first three rounds. Queen’s constant barrage and willingness to dig in ultimately gave her the ammunition to take the fight with the final score of 25-24.  On the challenger’s side, Mikaela Mayer fought a decisive win over Tiara Brown by using her outside/inside prowess for a final score of 23-18. Sherman and Mayer will battle it out tonight for the right to go on to Saturday’s Final Round.

Claressa Shields, fighting her toughest bout in the tournament continued to impress as she strong-armed two-time light heavyweight national champion Tika Hemingway through four rounds for a final score of 23-15. In the final challengers bout of the night Raquel Miller pushed through to handily defeat top seed Franchon Crews by using her tactical prowess to avoid being trapped in a slug fest. With a final score of 26-15, Miller will go on to fight tonight against Hemingway.

Press coverage includes the following:

USA Boxing, AP’s Greg Beacham, Detroit Free Press, SFGate, Los Angeles Times, News-Press.com and Spokesman-Review. 

Tonight’s bouts can be viewed online at the link here.  By the way if you’ve missed any of the action, click on the link to watch previous night’s bouts!

The full results for Day Four of the Trials are as follows:

Thursday’s Results

112 lbs/winners bracket: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, dec. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., 13-10
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., dec. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, 31-19
132 lbs/winners bracket: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., dec. N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, 25-24
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., 23-18
165 lbs/winners bracket: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa., 23-15
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., 26-15

Tonight’s Challengers Bouts will determine who survives for Saturday bouts!  This is do or die for these six exceptional fighters!

Friday’s Challengers Bracket Bout Sheet

112 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., vs. Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md.

132 lbs: N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio vs. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif.

165 lbs: Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa., vs. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif.