Tag Archives: Rio 2016 Games

2013 USA Boxing Nationals Final Results!

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2013 USA Boxing Nationals Final Results! 

 

What a great night of boxing for the elite women in the competition! They fought tough, hard and strong with some returning champions and some newcomers getting the nod!

To my mind, it is hard to choose which fights delivered the most, though I have to say that 30 year old, Christina Cruz delivered with a capital D, executing a smart, savvy game plan, in her bout against Ayanna Vasquez, setting up Cruz’s next challenge, that historic 7th NY Daily News Golden Gloves title.

Olympian Queen Underwood’s four round non-stop battle against teammate and champion in her own right, Tiara Brown was nothing short of awesome. Both women fought their heart’s out trading hard shots, combinations and a yin-yang momentum that kept shifting. Still Underwood was able to pull out the close split-decision to claim the 132 lb. championship, but to my mind, both women came away women came away winners having put on a tremendous effort.

Olympian Marlen Esparza also won by split decision after four rounds of a surprising and spirited defense from Virginia Fuchs in the 112 lb. weight class. Fans really got into the fight and actually booed when the decision was called.

At 106 lbs, the two mighty-mights fighting for the championship, Elisha Halstead and Alejandra Mercado, set the tone for the night: two terrific boxers working everything they had in the ring. In the end Halstead got the nod with a split decision.

In the 125 lb. weight class, newcomer Jen Hamann gained momentum for four rounds to win the close split decision over Rianna Rios. Jen’s third round, where she threw tough, hard shots and a lot of body/head combinations turned the tide for her, and by the fourth round she knocked Rios around enough to get her a standing eight.

The veteran Bertha Aracil, who fought with a cool, lean style, cruised to victory in the 141 lb. weight class over Faith Franco to gain the championship.

Another great battle was Danyelle Wolf’s effort with Fallon Farrar in the 152 lb. weight class. Both fighters came out throwing hard shots from the outset, but Wolf’s superior skills and ring generalship gave her the decisive win and the championship.

Franchon Crews once again claimed victory of the middleweight title at 165 lbs. over teammate Raquel Miller. The spirited fight gave Crews the win and the chance to reign as champion.

The 178 lb. weight class saw Tiffanie Hearn win the title over Dara Shen. Hearn fought at a fast pass and pushed her way past Shen to claim the championship.

The new scoring system certainly has some kinks to work out, but as Tiara Brown noted, in training for it, the fighters have had the chance to execute truly remarkable performances.

Christina Cruz was also quoted as saying of her opponent, “She’s a strong girl, but with the new scoring system, I was able to pick my shots better. Plus, I think I kept my composure a little better in the last round than she did.”

With these women on the roster of Team USA along with the young women who fought alongside them, there is a lot to be proud of looking ahead to Rio 2016!

Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone with the heart of a lioness who took to the ring!

 

Elite Women’s Finals Results
106 lbs: Elisha Halstead, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Alejandra Mercado, Rockford, Ill., 2-1
112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, dec. Virgina Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, 2-1
119 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Ayanna Vasquez, Las Cruces, N.M., 3-0
125 lbs: Jennifer Hamann, Seattle, Wash. dec. Rianna Rios, Alice, Texas, 2-1
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, wash. dec. Tiara Brown, Ft. Meyers, Fla., 2-1
141 lbs: Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., dec. Faith Franco, Duarte, Calif., 3-0
152 lbs: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Fallon Farrar, Staten Island, N.Y., 3-0
165 lbs: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., 3-0
178 lbs: Tiffanie Hearn, Oxnard, Calif., dec. Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va., 3-0

Katie Taylor, “Women’s Boxing Ambassador”

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Katie Taylor, “Women’s Boxing Ambassador”

Katie Taylor, Gold Medal Women's Lightweight, 2012 Olympic Gold Winner, Credit: Leinster Leader

The news that Katie Taylor has been named the “Women’s Boxing Ambassador” by AIBA, (the governing international amateur boxing organization), in the run up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil is a big boost for the sport.

Her appointment is important and when Taylor says, “I want to help elevate women’s boxing to ensure it sits at the pinnacle of sporting achievement,” these are not mere words echoed by the Irish Gold Medal Olympian for the press release.

Nor are Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu’s, President of AIBA’s sentiments when he stated, “She has inspired a generation of women boxers and the acceptance of women’s boxing in the Olympic program has been in part a result of her outstanding achievements.”

Taylor’s amateur boxing career in an out of the ring exemplifies what it means to forge forward using her talent, gumption and immense athletic skills as an entree into a larger world as her following in Europe and Asia shows.

Beyond that, in her native Ireland, a scan of local headlines gives a sense of her importance:  “Boxing Sensation Katie Taylor to Visit Limerick” read a recent one in the Limerick Leader, while another touted readers to  “Win a VIP meet and greet with Olympic Boxing champ Katie Taylor at Whitewater this Sunday,” in the Leinster Leader.

And she is so beloved in Ireland that a couple of years ago Taylor was the Grand Marshal of the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade — no mean feat for a girlboxer from Bray representing a sport that was illegal in Ireland twenty years ago.

What she is now is not only the pride of Ireland, but the face of women’s boxing to the world; a young woman who through her boxing will help continue to push the barriers that have led to a wide acceptance of women’s boxing in her native country.

We can only hope that she is as successful on the international stage.

Girlboxing offers our heartfelt congratulations!