Tag Archives: 2012 Women’s World Championships

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/19/12 Finals!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/19/12 Finals!

The finals were an exciting culmination to a remarkable tournament that pitted 325 superb amateur athletes from 77 nations in a test of ability, skill, savvy and courage.  The competition was also something more, the first international Olympic qualifying test for female boxers in history.

Tiara Brown in her Semifinal win over Svetlana Staneva, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images Asia Pac

Team USA came away with two Olympians, one gold medal, two silver medals and two bronze medalists.

Franchon Crews winning her semifinal bout over Timea Nagy, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac

Olympians!

Marlena Espara (Flyweight)

Claressa Shields (Middleweight)

Gold Medalist!

Tiara Brown (Featherweight)

Silver Medalists!

Franchon Crews (Light Heavyweight)

Raquel Miller (Welterweight)

Bronze Medalists!

Christina Cruz (Bantamweight)

Mikaela Mayer (Light Welterweight)

Raquel Miller defeating Irina Porteyeva in the semifinals, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac

Click here for the Full Bout roster for the Finals held on 5/19/12:

5:19:12 Full Roster Finals

Click here for full results for Semifinals (5/18/12) & Finals (5/19/12):

5:18:12 Results Session 12A

5:18:12 Results Session 13A

5:19:12 Results Session 14A Finals

Click here for Medalists!

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/18/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/18/12! (Update 2)

The Semifinals!

LIVE NOW!!!

All five of the remaining USA Boxing team members are scheduled to compete in the semifinals today.

Results so far are as follows:

Franchon Crews (81kg) routed her opponent Hungary’s Timea Nagy by the score of 22:8 to win her semifinal bout in the first session of today’s Women’s World Championship action today.  She led the fight from the beginning, but really put it away with a 6:2 third round and a 9:3 fourth round.  No word yet on who Crews will face in the finals!

Raquel Miller (69 kg) proved victorious in her semifinal bout over Russia’s Irina Poteyeva winning the close bout 13:10.  Miller was able to hold Poteyeva off through most of the match and will proudly move on to the finals!

Christina Cruz (54 kg) lost her semifinal bid to Italy’s Terry Gordini by the score of 7:11.  The low scoring bout saw Gordini to effectively hold Cruz to low points throughout, though Cruz was able to tie Gordini 2:2 in the third round.  Cruz has been a true champion with excellent showings throughout the tournament so this is a big loss.

From the PM sessions, Tiara Brown (57kg) defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva by the score of 22:14.  She moves onto the finals as the top seed in her division!

Mikaela Mayer (64gk) who fought the North Korean light welterweight  Kyong Pak on the heels of her quarterfinal rout of India’s Meena Rani, lost a tough, close battle 24:25 to Pak. Mayer and Pak each won a round in the first two, but Pak pulled out a 3-point advantage in the third. In the fourth round Mayer came back very strong, however, a mid-round stop effected her momentum and though she took the round 10-8, Pak’s holding at the end of the round cost Mayer the bout.

Other results from the first session are as follows:

Ireland’s Katie Taylor took her semifinal bout and will be in the finals against Russia’s own Sofya Ochigava. Ochigava defeated the heavily touted British fighter Natasha Jones 18:10 to gain her spot in the final.

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/16/12:

5:18:12 Full Roster Semifinals

Click here for full results for 5/16/12 & the first session for 5/18/12:

5:16:12 Results Session 10A

5:16:12 Results Session 10B

5:16:12 Results Session 11A

5:16:12 Results Session 11B

5:18:12 Results Session 12A

AIBA’s article link is here: Russian women continue terrific form in quarter-finals.

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/16/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/16/12! – Updated (3)!

Quarterfinals for the Lightweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight and Heavyweight divisions!

Marlen Esparza, USA Olympian, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac

All six of the remaining USA Boxing team members are scheduled to compete on 5/16/12.  While Marlen Esparza is the first American female boxer to have one a place at the Olympics, she is still avid to medal at the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships!

Christina Cruz, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac

In Results from today’s bouts it seems that the USA Boxing team has won four bouts out of five so far with one bout still to go.

Christina Cruz (54kg) fought a tough close bout against Sopida Saturmrum of Thailand, but managed to take the bout by the score of 29:19. Cruz managed to tie the first round 3:3, but actually lost the second and third round trailing by a total of two points before she put everything she had into the fourth round to take it by the score of 6:3. She advances to the semi-finals against Italy’s Terry Gordini on May 18th, giving her a well-need rest day.

Raquel Miller (69kg) was equally victorious in her bout over Turkish boxer Bilgehan Karabulut by the score of 11:5.  Raquel led the low scoring bout throughout all four rounds. Her next bout in the semifinals of her division will be against Irina Poteyeva of Russia on May 18th.

In the third afternoon fight for the American team, Franchon Crews had a big win outscoring her opponent for Kasakhstan, Dariga Shakimova by the score of 30:12. Franchon came out blasting from the beginning and finished her fight with a devastating 10:2 round. Franchon will fight Hungary’s Timea Nagy in the semifinals. Her fight is also scheduled for May 18th.

In the 7:00 PM (local time) session so far:

Yesterday, Marlen Esparza’s (51kg) became the first American female boxer in history to win a spot in the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, Esparza has lost her quarterfinal bout against China’s Cancan Ren by the score of 8:16.  Ren was able to outscore Esparza throughout the bout, and although she came back with a 3:3 tie in the third round, Esparza was not able to take the win in the fourth.  Still, this loss does not take away her victory yesterday or her place in history as America’s first female boxing Olympian!

Tiara Brown (57kg) who is considered the top seed narrowly defeated China’s Jian Quin by the score of 23:22.  The tightly fought contest saw Jian in control in the first two rounds, however, Brown came roaring back to win her quarterfinal match. No word yet on who she will fight in the semifinals.

To round out the PM session, Mikaela Mayer (64kg), following her fantastic win yesterday by the score of 34:13, will be taking on India’s Meena Rani.  In yesterday’s bout, Mayer led throughout with huge scores in the second and third rounds (10:4 & 10:3).

Queen Underwood in her heartbreaking lost to Ingrid Egner, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images

As a reminder, in a true heartbreaker, Queen Underwood  (60kg) lost her very close battle with Norway’s Ingrid Egner by the score of 26:25.  Egner held a slight advantage in the first two rounds scoring 6:4 and 8:5.  Queen was able to tie up the score 6:6 in the third round and came back with a fierce fourth round scoring 6:10, however, it was not enough.  This is very, very tough for Queen, and she joins Claressa Shields in the waiting game for a place in the Olympics.

In a couple of notes on the Lightweight division, Ingrid Egner went on to lose today to Natasha Jonas of England by the score of 32:9.  While Ireland’s Katie Taylor received a walkover against Mihaela Lacatus.

For one other bit of news, Australian flyweight champion boxer, Bianca Elmir was provisionally banned due to a failed doping test from her national championship battle this past February. She was notified of the ban in China, and while her team has appealed to allow her to compete, the appeal was denied. Elmir tested positive for a banned diuretic. For more details on the issues click here.

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/16/12:

5:16:12 Full Roster

Click here for full results for 5/15/12 and 5/16/12 Afternoon Session Results:

5:15:12 Results Session 8A

5:15:12 Results Session 8B

5:15:12 Results Session 9A

5:15:12 Results Session 9B

5:16:12 Results Session 10A

5:16:12 Results Session 10B

AIBA’s article link is here: Ochigava eliminates the first Chinese boxer in Qinhuangdan


AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/15/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/15/12! – Updated (5/15/12 Afternoon Session Results)

More Preliminary Rounds!

USA’s Claressa Shields in defeat against England’s Savannah Marshall, Credit Getty Images

Well in early results from today’s bouts it seems that the USA Boxing team has had mixed results.

For the great news, Marlen Esparza (51kg) had a decisive win over Viet Nam’s Thi Duyen Luu, taking the decision by the score of 28:13.  Marlen led through out with a whopping 9:2 forth round to close out the bout.  Marlen will continue to fight tomorrow in the quarter finals for the Flyweight division against China’s much ballyhooed Cancan Ren.  Marlen’s win means that she is going to the Olympics!!!

Christina Cruz (54kg) also proved victorious in her bout against Norway’s Shora Rezaie Johroni, taking the bout by the score of 14:10. Cruz kept fair control of the fight except for the third round when Johroni came back with a 7:4 round, however, Cruz was able to beat back her advance with a 5:2 forth round. The next bout for Cruz will be in the quarterfinals against Thailand’s Sopida Satumrum, on May 16th.

In a true heartbreaker, Queen Underwood  (60kg) has lost in a very close battle with Norway’s Ingrid Egner by the score of 26:25.  Egner held a slight advantage in the first two rounds scoring 6:4 and 8:5.  Queen was able to tie up the score 6:6 in the third round and came back with a fierce fourth round scoring 6:10, however, it was not enough.  This is very, very tough for Queen, and she joins Claressa Shields in the waiting game for a place in the Olympics.

In the second of Team USA Boxing’s defeats today, Alex Love (48kg) lost a very close bout to Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaybay by the score of 20:19. The bout was very close through out and will Alex led in the first round 2:3 and tied the second 5:5, Kyzaybay was able to take the third and forth rounds scoring 7:6 and 6:5 respectively to win the bout.

Set to fight in the PM session today is California’s own, Mikaela Mayer (64kg) against New Zealand’s Laura Matthews. (Results to be posted later).

One other note in the Lightweight Division, Ireland’s Katie Taylor proved successful in her bout against Kazakhstan’s Saida Khassenova, defeating her by the score of 20:8.

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

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/15/12:

5:15:12 Full Roster

Click here for full results for 5/14/12 + 5/15/12 Afternoon Sessions:

5:14:12 Results Session 6A

5:14:12 Results Session 6B

5:14:12 Results Session 7A

5:14:12 Results Session 7B

5:15:12 Results Session 8A

5:15:12 Result Session 8B

AIBA’s article link is here: Katie Taylor Opens her World Championships in Style

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/14/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/14/12! – UPDATED! (Added 5/14/12 Results Session 6B)

More Preliminary Rounds!

Erika Guerrier (Red) & Nives Radic, Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images AsiaPac

Well in early results from today’s bouts it seems the USA has three winners so far!

As the PM results come through, however, it seems that Claressa Shields has suffered a defeat at the hands of Great Britain’s Savannah Marshall by the score of 8:14.  The low scoring bout saw a 2:2 draw in the first round followed by a steady increase in points by Marshall.  This is a heartbreaker for Claressa who was an early favorite to go all the way.

The USA’s own Queen Underwood continues to advance with a huge win against New Zealand’s Alexis Pritchard by the score of 28:9. Queen dominated throughout the fight with an amazing third round that saw her to receive the score of 10:2.  Queen will go on to fight in the Elite 8 next where she will face Norway’s Ingrid Egner.

Franchon Crews (81kg) the USA Boxing Champion also routed her opponent, Sabrina Arlette Jaqueline Delarue of France with a score of 22:8.  She advances to the quarterfinals where she will face Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova.

And finally, the USA’s Tiara Brown who has been awarded the top seed handily won her bout against India’s Mandakini Chanu Kangabam by the score of 21:16 in the 57kg division. She faces China’s Jian Qin in the quarterfinal.

Bouts in the Olympic Flyweight, and non-Olympic Bantamweight, Light Flyweight, Light Welterweight and Welterweight divisions dominate today’s AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Quinhuangdao, China.

The afternoon and evening sessions include bouts in the Featherweight, Lightweight, Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions.

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/14/12:

5:14:12 Full Bout Roster

Click here for full results for 5/13/12 + 5/14/12 first two sessions:

5:13:12 Results Session 4A

5:13:12 Results Session 4B

5:13:12 Results Session 5A

5:13:12 Results Session 5B

5:14:12 Results Session 6A

5:14:12 Results Session 6B

AIBA’s article link is here: China, Russia and the USA still perfect in Qinhuangdao

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/13/12!

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 5/13/12! – UPDATED!

More Preliminary Rounds – Sweet 16 plus an Elite 8!

Claressa Shields and Pooja Rani

Bouts in the Olympic Flyweight, and non-Olympic Bantamweight, Light Flyweight, Light Welterweight and Welterweight 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 Marlen Esparza, Christina Cruz and Raquel Miller competed and won today!!!

In the Sweet 16 for the Olympic Flyweight (51kg) Division, US Olympic hopeful Marlen Esparza sailed through to defeat Argentina’s Pamela Benavidaz by the score of 20:10.  This was Marlen’s first fight of the competition and great news for her as she continues her hunt for a place in the Olympics.  Marlen’s next bout is on May 15th against Viet Nam’s Thi Duyen Luu.

In the 54kg division, the Pride of New York City, six-time Golden Gloves Winner and USA Boxing National Champion, Christina Cruz, handily defeated Swiss fighter Nicole Corine Michel, by decision with the final score of 22:8. Christina will fight Norway’s Shora Rezaie Joahroni next on May 15th.

The USA’s Raquel Miller (69kg) fought a tough second bout against Canada’s Myriam Da Silva.  The score was 18:18, however, the decision was given to Raquel Miller who will go on to fight in the 69kg quarterfinals.  Her next bout will be on May 16th against Turkish boxer Bilgehan Karabulut.

Click here for the Full Bout roster for 5/13/12:

5:13:12 Full Bout Roster

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

5:12:11 Results Session 2A

5:12:11 Results Session 2B

5:12:11 Results Session 3A

5:12:11 Results Session 3B

AIBA’s article link is here: Top Favorites Ochigava and Shields Advance to the Next Round in China

New Quota rules to govern places for female boxers in the Olympics!

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New Quota rules to govern places for female boxers in the Olympics!

Under new rules announced by the AIBA on May 10, 2012, places for female boxers in the 2012 London Olympic Games will now be based on a quota system.

What this means is while there will still only be 8 spots in each of the three weight categories, each of the places will be based on the TOP WINNERS in their continent in addition to being in the top eight over all.

Based on this new quota system the allocation of places PER CONTINENT is as follows:

Within the quota awarded to each of the continents (see table below), the highest ranked boxers from different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in each weight category at the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will obtain a quota place.

Weight kg

Africa

Tri

America

Tri

Asia

Tri

Europe

Tri

Oceana

Tri

48-51

1

2

1

2

1

3

1

1

0

57-60

1

1

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

0

69-75

1

1

2

1

1

1

3

1

1

0

Total

5

8

8

12

3

This quota is based on two calculations:  the number of places allotted to winner’s in the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships plus the number of places allotted by the Tripartite Commission.  A total of 24 places will be offered through the championships.

An additional 11 places will be allocated in accordance with the rules governing the Tripartite Commission rules, which includes eligibility criteria for individual NOCs based on their application for Tripartite Commission Invitation Places.  The request for invitation places was due by January 16, 2012. Decisions will be handed out prior to  July 1st.

The Host nation (United Kingdom) will be offered the remaining Tripartite female place.

If all of that sounds complicated, it sure feels that way to me.  The bottom line is, rather than simply selecting the top 8 from each of the three Olympic Weight Categories as originally announced, these new rules now add the extra burden of either winning or coming in second among the boxers in the fighter’s continent, based upon the continental quota in a particular weight category.

For the United States, this means that Marlen Esparza and Claressa Shields must come in first or second in their weight class, while Queen Underwood must come in first in her lightweight division among all of the fighters in North and South America.

I have not been able to ascertain why this rule change was made.  If any Girlboxing readers have more information about the rules change, it will be greatly appreciated if you fill us all in!

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

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.

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

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