COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Four days of outstanding boxing culminated in championship round action at the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championships on Saturday at the Northern Michigan University Superior Dome in Marquette, Mich. The best 15 and 16-year-old boxers in the country competed in 22 final round bouts with a national title on the line. Once again, the 95-pound weight division opened the action with Favian Ceravntez (Arleta, Calif.) taking on Darious Moton (Oxon Hill, Md.)..
The bout was close through the first round with Cervantez taking a small 3-0 lead after round one. Cervantez took over in the second round, piling up the points to move out to a 10-point advantage. He held onto his lead in the final round to move out to a 14-2 decision and his first junior Olympic national championship.
In the pinweight (101) division, Louis Byrd (Denver, Colo.) opened his championship bout with Carlos Alcala (Haltom City, Calif.) by throwing punches at a razor quick speed and he never let up. Byrd continued his onslaught throughout the first round, giving Alacala a standing eight count en route to a 14-4 advantage. His outstanding effort continued into the second round, causing a mandatory stoppage at the :22 mark of the second round due to Byrd’s 15-point advantage. The pinweight title is Byrd’s first Junior Olympic National Championship.
The light flyweight title bout featured a match-up between Randy Caballero (Coachella, Calif.) and Alexis Santiago (Phoenix, Ariz.).The two battled in a close, competitive contest through the first two rounds with Cabellero taking the first lead. He took a 16-10 advantage in the third and final round, but didn’t rely on his existing lead. Caballero turned it on in the final two minutes of boxing to win a 27-11 final decision and the light flyweight championship.
The lone home state boxer competed in the flyweight division as Mohamed Adam (Detroit, Mich.) took on Andre Keys (Tacoma, Wash.) in championship round action. The bout stayed close through the first two minutes of boxing with Keys pulling out to a slim 5-3 advantage. However the final two rounds belonged to Keys as he began piling on the points, moving out to a 14-5 advantage after the first two rounds. The trend continued through the final round as Keys won a 23-11 final decision over Adam for the 2006 junior Olympic flyweight title.
Female championship round action commenced in the flyweight division as Safire Pereira (Waianae, Hawaii) challenged Ashley Barela (Englewood, Colo.). The two young boxers competed in a well-fought competitive three rounds with Barela taking the early momentum. After taking a two-point lead after round one, Barela enjoyed an impressive spurt in the second round, giving Pereira a standing eight count. She held a 19-5 lead over Pereira after the second round but the two boxers both let their hands fly in the third round. Barela held on to her lead to win a 28-16 final decision and the first women’s national championship of the event.
2005 Junior Olympic National Championships bronze medalist Samuel DiPace (Las Cruces, N.M.) traveled to Marquette looking for his first JO title and DiPace accomplished his goal in his light bantamweight title bout with Lamarkis Cowan (St. Louis, Mo.). DiPace pressed the action from the opening bell, landing vicious body shots and applying pressure. Cowan attempted to counter and move on the charging DiPace but it was too late. DiPace moved out to a 15-point lead in the final seconds of the first round to give him the victory.
The women’s light bantamweight championship bout showcased an action-packed bout between Cynthia Moreno (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Alexandria Cardenas (San Angelo, Texas). Moreno controlled the bout through the first two rounds, even giving Cardenas a standing eight count to take a 19-9 lead into the final round. Cardenas never gave up, flying out in round three and giving Moreno a standing eight count of her own in an attempt to make up her deficit. Yet Moreno managed to extend her lead in the final round, winning a 28-12 final decision over Cardenas. The victory gives Moreno her first junior Olympic national championship.
The closest contest of the early bouts took place in the male bantamweight division as 2006 Silver Gloves champion Ronny Rios (Santa Ana, Calif.) faced off with 2005 Cadet World Championships silver medalist Roberto Marroquin (Irving, Texas). Marroquin took a slim two-point lead after the first round, but Rios pulled to within one after two rounds. The bout went into the final round up for grabs and Marroquin decided to reach out and take it. He recorded a 10-point third round to win a 15-4 final decision and his first Junior Olympic national championship.
A new champion was crowned in the women’s bantamweight division as well. Angela Bradford won her match-up with fellow finalist Raelene Pineda (San Bernadino, Calif.) due to a referee’s stoppage. Bradford pulled out to the first lead and never relinquished it, holding Pineda scoreless through two rounds. The referee called a halt to the bout in the second round, giving Bradford the victory.
Manuel de la Cruz (Port Arthur, Texas) and Chazz McDowell (Visalia, Calif.) faced off for the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championships featherweight title. After a slow first round, the two boxers picked up the pace and de la Cruz moved out to a 15-8 lead, giving McDowell two standing eight counts in the second round. McDowell attempted a comeback over the final two minutes but de la Cruz moved out to a 19-11 final victory.
On the women’s side, Amanda Jones (Visalia, Calif.) won her first junior Olympic national title with a victory over Angel Harris (Columbus, Ohio) in their featherweight title bout. Jones grabbed the early lead, taking a 5-3 advantage after one and moving out to a 10-5 advantage at the end of three rounds. She continued to extend her lead in the third and final round to win a 12-5 final decision and the featherweight national championship.
The final women’s bout of championship action took place in the lightweight division as Micaela Arce (Reno, Nev.) faced off with Crystal Delgado (Houston, Texas) in the final round contest. Arce took control from the beginning of the bout, grabbing a 9-2 lead after one round of boxing. She doubled her point total in the second round to take an 18-4 advantage and nearly causing a mandatory stoppage. Arce went on to win a 25-8 decision over Delgado to win the female lightweight title.
Men’s championship action continued in the men’s lightweight division as Javier Molina (Commerce, Calif.) faced off with Hector Vasquez (Irving, Texas). Molina used impeccable defense to keep Vasquez’s score low and his efforts earned Molina a 9-1 lead after two rounds. He continued his strong boxing through the final round to win a 14-4 decision. The title is the first for Molina who competed at the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championships at light welterweight.
Texas bounced back in the light welterweight division as Gerrardo Ibarra, Jr. (Houston, Texas) took on Gary Russell III (Capitol Heights, Md.). The bout was close from the opening bell and the two boxers were deadlocked at five at the end of one round. After two more minutes of boxing, both boxers had doubled their output and the bout went into the final round tied at 10 a piece. The third round determined the winner and Ibarra took the final round to win a 14-12 final decision and the light welterweight championship.
The leather flew from start to finish in the welterweight title bout between Glen Tapia (Pasaic, N.J.) and David Garcia (Oxnard, Calif.). Tapia enjoyed the better part of the action through the first two rounds and led by 12 points as the bell rang for the final round. Yet Garcia came flying back early in the round, dropping Tapia to the canvas. Yet Tapia never let go of his lead, even extending it through the final round to win a 31-13 decision.
The light middleweight division bout showcased a closer bout between Luis Arias (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Max de Leon (Dallas, Texas). Round one ended in a slim 4-3 Arias lead but he extended his advantage to 9-5 at the end of three rounds. De Leon began to peck away at the Arias lead in the third round but fell short. Arias won a 12-9 final decision to win the light middleweight championship.
The first defending champion boxed in the middleweight division and reigning titlist Dominic Wade (Largo, Md.) grabbed his second straight junior Olympic title with a victory over Isaac Atencio (Denver, Colo.). The bout between the two was low scoring throughout with Wade consistently holding a small lead. He took a 7-2 advantage into the final round before moving out to a 9-3 final victory. The win is Wade’s second over Atencio in 2006 following a final round victory at the Silver Gloves in February.
The light heavyweight final round bout between David Galmore (Lake Charles, La.) and Marquice Weston (Tacoma, Wash.) went down to the wire. Once again, the score remained low throughout despite both boxers staying active. The score was locked at 3 after one and after a slow second round, tied at 4-4. With the third round determining the outcome, Galmore turned it on, scoring nine points in the last two minutes. Galmore won a 13-7 decision over Weston to take the light heavyweight crown.
2006 Aliyev Cup champion Keith Tapia (New York, N.Y.) has enjoyed international success but was in search of his first junior Olympic title. Tapia took on fellow Keith, Keith Hunt (Paterson, N.J.) in heavyweight final round action. Hunt kept the bout close through the first round but Tapia began to pull away in the second round. Tapia picked it up through the final two rounds, taking an 8-3 lead into the third round. He more than doubled his output in the final round to win a17-4 final decision.
After a loss in the heavyweight division, a Paterson native took home the title in the 201-pound weight class. Norman Neely (Paterson, N.J.) faced off with 2006 Silver Gloves champion Joseph Dawejiko (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the final round. Neely doubled Dawejiko’s output in the first two rounds and enjoyed a 4-2 lead after two. Neely added an additional six points in the final round to win a 10-6 decision and the 201-pound title.
In the final round of the tournament, super heavyweight Trevor Bryan (Albany, N.Y.) became the second athlete to defend his title in Marquette. Bryan battled Zakki Scott (Temple Hills, Md.) in the super heavyweight final and he controlled the bout from the opening minute. He moved out to a nine-point lead after the first round and extended it out to 11 after two rounds. Bryan continued to dominate the bout, causing the referee to call a halt to the bout at the 1:51 mark of the third round.
The men’s championships in the pinweight through heavyweight divisions will compete in the 2006 Cadet World Championships, August 3-14 in Antalya, Turkey after participating in a preparatory training camp in mid-July.
July 1 – Championship Bouts
95 pounds: Favian Cervantez, Arleta, Calif., dec. Darious Moton, Oxon Hill, Md., 14-2
101 lbs/46 kg: Louis Byrd, Denver, Colo., stopped Carlos Alcala, Haltom City, Calif., RSCO-2
106 lbs/48 kg: Randy Caballero, Coachella, Calif., dec. Alexis Santiago, Phoenix, Ariz., 27-11
110 lbs/50 kg: Andre Keys, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Mohamed Adam, Detroit, Mich., 23-11
110 lbs/50 kg/female: Ashley Barela, Englewood, Colo., dec. Safire Pereira, Waianae, Hawaii, 28-16
114 lbs/52 kg: Samuel DiPace, Las Cruces, N.M., stopped Lamarkis Cowan, St. Louis, Mo., RSCO-1
114 lbs/52 kg/female: Cynthia Moreno, Phoenix, Ariz., dec. Alexandria Cardenas, San Angelo, Texas, 28-12
119 lbs/54 kg: Roberto Marroquin, Irving, Texas, dec. Ronny Rios, Santa Ana, Calif., 15-7
119 lbs/54 kg/female: Angela Bradford, Ft. Worth, Texas stopped Raelene Pineda, San Bernadino, Calif., RSC-2
125 lbs/57 kg: Manuel de la Cruz, Port Arthur, Texas, dec. Chazz McDowell, Mt. Vernon, N.Y., 19-11
125 lbs/57 kg/female: Amanda Jones, Visalia, Calif., dec. Angel Harris, Columbus, Ohio, 12-5
132 lbs/60 kg: Javier Molina, Commerce, Calif., dec. Hector Vasquez, Irving, Texas, 14-4
132 lbs/60 kg/female: Micaela Arce, Reno, Nev., dec. Crystal Delgado, Houston, Texas, 25-8
138 lbs/63 kg: Gerardo Ibarra, Jr., Houston, Texas, dec. Gary Russell III, Capitol Heights, Md., 14-12
138 lbs/63 kg/female: Angel Thomas, N. Little Rock, Ark., won on walkover over Sherriee Smith, Cleveland, Ohio, W/O
145 lbs/66 kg: Glen Tapia, Pasaic, N.J., dec. David Garcia, Oxnard, Calif., 31-13
154 lbs/70 kg: Luis Arias, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. Max De Leon, Dallas, Texas, 12-9
165 lbs/75 kg: Dominic Wade, Largo, Md., dec. Isaac Atencio, Denver, Colo., 9-3
176 lbs/80 kg: David Galmore, Lake Charles, La., dec. Marquice Weston, Tacoma, Wash., 13-7
189 lbs/86 kg: Keith Tapia, New York, N.Y., dec. Keith Hunt, Paterson, N.J., 17-4
201 lbs/91 kg: Norman Neely, Paterson, N.J., dec. Joseph Dawejko, Philadelphia, Pa., 10-6
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Trevor Bryan, Albany, N.Y., stopped Zakki Scott, Temple Hill, Md., RSC-3