Jesus Magdaleno Dominates, Frankie Gomez Records an Opening Day Victory at the 2009 World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – While experience and age is often viewed as an advantage on the international amateur boxing scene, it was a young American teenager enjoying success on the second day of World Championships action at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy. Seventeen-year-old Jesus Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.) has already enjoyed an outstanding 2009, winning both the 2009 National Golden Gloves and USA Boxing National Championships as well as defeating two-time Olympian and reigning world champion Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio)..

Magdaleno extended his winning ways to the international scene on Wednesday morning, recording a commanding 26-7 victory over Latvia’s Dimitrijis Gutmans. The American boxer grabbed control early in the bout, taking a 9-2 lead after one. He continued to control the action in the second round, and enjoyed a 16-6 advantage as the bout moved into the final stanza. Magdaleno never took his foot off the gas despite his commanding lead, and he outscored Gutmans by a 10-1 margin in the last three minutes to win the 26-7 final decision.

Middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) didn’t have the same success in his first round bout against Alex David Theran Millares of Colombia, dropping a 12-6 decision in the preliminary contest. Lightweight Duran Caferro (Helena, Mont.) lost his opening round bout as well with Thailand’s Ardee Saylom winning a 12-9 decision over Caferro in their first round match-up.

Only two U.S. boxers are scheduled to compete on Thursday in Milan with featherweight Kevin Rivers (Landover, Md.) battling Australia’s Ibrahim Bell at 3:30 p.m. Milan time (9:30 a.m. EST) and light flyweight Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) facing Japan’s Taro Hayashida at 8:30 p.m. Milan time (2:30 p.m. EST) in first round competition.

For the most up-to-date results and information as well as complete brackets for all 11 weight divisions, go to www.aiba.org.

Wednesday’s Preliminary Results
119 lbs: Jesus Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev./USA dec. Dimitrijis Gutmans, LAT, 26-7

132 lbs: Ardee Saylom, THA, dec. Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont./USA, 12-9
165 lbs: Alex David Theran Millares, COL, dec. Terrell Gausha, Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 12-6

Thursday’s Schedule
125 lbs: Kevin Rivers, Landover, Md./USA vs. Ibrahim Bell, AUS (9:30 a.m. EST)

106 lbs: Miguel Cartagena, Philadelphia, Pa./USA vs. Taro Hayashida, JPN (2:30 p.m. EST)

Frankie Gomez Records an Opening Day Victory at the 2009 World Championships

Light welterweight Frankie Gomez (Broadway, Calif.) claimed the lone victory for the United States on the opening day of competition on Tuesday at the 2009 AIBA World Championships in Milan, Italy. Gomez recorded an 18-4 decision over Belarus’ Mikhail Bakarura in his World Championships debut on Tuesday afternoon. Following a tied first round, Gomez broke it open in the second, outscoring his opponent by an 8-1 margin to take an 11-4 advantage into the third and final round. He held Bakarura scoreless over the final three minutes while recording seven scoring blows over his own to win the 18-4 final decision. Gomez will face Georgia’s Levan Gvamaichava on Friday afternoon.

Flyweight Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) opened the day in a close loss to Mexico’s Braulio Avila in morning competition. Byrd dropped a 14-12 decision to Avila in the first bout of the tournament, eliminating him from the competition.

Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) drew reigning Olympic and World Champion Roberto Camarrelle of host country, Italy, in his tournament opener. Hunter hoped to record an opening round upset, but fell short, dropping an 8-1 final decision to the Italian police officer. “His timing was too good, and I tried my best, but this time it was not enough,” Hunter said.

Wednesday’s competition will feature bantamweight Jesus Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.); lightweight Duran Caferro (Helena, Mont.); and middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) in first round action.

For the most up-to-date results and information on the 2009 AIBA World Championships, go to www.aiba.org.

Tuesday’s Results

112 lbs/51 kg: Braulio Avila, MEX, dec. Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo./USA, 14-12
141 lbs/64 kg: Frankie Gomez, Broadway, Calif./USA dec. Mikhail Bakarura, BLR, 18-4
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Roberto Camarrelle, ITA, dec. Michael Hunter, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 8-1

Wednesday’s U.S. Schedule

119 lbs: Jesus Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev./USA vs. Dimitrijis Gutmans, LAT (morning session)
165 lbs: Terrell Gausha, Cleveland, Ohio/USA vs. Alex David Theran Millares, COL (afternoon session)
132 lbs: Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont./USA vs. Saylom Ardee, THA (evening session)

USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is responsible for the selection and management of the United States Olympic Boxing Team, and for the governance and oversight of USA Boxing’s national organization of 38,000 members, 1,400 individual boxing clubs, and 1,600 sanctioned events annually.

2009 AIBA World Championships Action Begins in Milan

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Competition began this morning at the 2009 AIBA World Championships in Milan, Italy with three sessions a day taking place throughout the preliminary rounds. The official event draw was completed on Monday afternoon in Milan, Italy, setting the paths for all 11 U.S. boxers as they compete for international gold. For the first time, AIBA instituted a seeding system for the event, based upon a boxer’s success in previous major international competition.

Three U.S. boxers are competing on the first day of competition in the Mediolanum Forum in Milan with flyweight Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) opening competition today for his U.S. team in a bout with Mexico’s Braulio Avila, and light welterweight Frankie Gomez (Broadway, Calif.) competing in his first world championships bout against Mikhail Bakarara of Belarus in afternoon action. Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) will face off in a highly anticipated bout in his opening contest of the event, taking on reigning Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle on Tuesday evening at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan. Cammarelle will enjoy strong hometown support as he competes on familiar turf in Milan.

On Wednesday, three U.S. athletes will take the ring beginning with bantamweight Jesus Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.). Magdaleno will battle Latvia’s Dimitrijis Gutmans in his World Championships debut in morning competition. In afternoon action, it will be middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio), stepping the ropes for the first time in Milan as he faces Colombia’s Alex David Theran Millares in preliminary round boxing. Lightweight Duran Caferro (Helena, Mont.) will close the day for the United States, taking on Thailand’s Saylom Ardee in evening competition.

Light flyweight Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) and featherweight Kevin Rivers (Landover, Md.) will compete in their event openers on Thursday, September 3, facing Japan’s Taro Hayashida and Australia’s Ibrahim Balla respectively.

Three United States boxers received first round byes and will all open competition on Sunday, September 6. Welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) and light heavyweight Robert Brant (St. Paul, Minn.) both drew amateur boxing powerhouse Cuba in their first bout of the AIBA World Championships. Spence will face Carlos Banteur Suarez while Brant will take on Jose Larduet Gomez. Heavyweight Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) will be the final U.S. boxer to take the ring, and he will face France’s John M’Bumba on Sunday evening.

For the most up-to-date results and information as well as full draw sheets for all 11 weight divisions, go to www.aiba.org.

USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is responsible for the selection and management of the United States Olympic Boxing Team, and for the governance and oversight of USA Boxing’s national organization of 38,000 members, 1,400 individual boxing clubs, and 1,600 sanctioned events annually.