(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO) – Heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) and light welterweight Jamel Herring (Coram, N.Y.) got Team USA off to a winning start with a convincing victories in their opening bouts at the 2012 Americas Qualifier tournament in Rio de Janeiro..
Hunter boxed first, facing Ryan Charles of St. Lucia in the sole U.S. bout of the opening session and the experienced veteran got off to a quick start in his bout, giving Charles a standing eight count en route to a 7-2 lead after the first. He extended his advantage to an 11-3 margin in the third and went to win a 14-5 final decision.
He will face Marcio Figueroa of Nicaragua in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday.
Herring put forth an impressive performance in his tournament opener against Bolivia’s Juan Loayza. The Marine Corps Sergeant got off to a quick start in the contest, mirroring Hunter’s first round output to take a 7-2 lead after one. He kept his foot on the gas in the second, moving out to a commanding 16-3 lead after one. The referee saw enough in the third round, calling a halt to the bout with just over two minutes in the bout to give Herring the third round stoppage win.
Herring will face Guatemala’s Lester Martinez in second round action tomorrow evening.
Light flyweight Santos Vasquez (Reno, Nev.) and light heavyweight Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.) will look to extend the U.S. winning streak on Sunday with Vasquez boxing in the afternoon session and Brown competing in the evening. Vasquez will battle Puerto Rico’s Jantomy Ortiz and Brown will challenge Declan Calliste of Trinidad and Tobago.
Michael Hunter and Jamel Herring to Open Americas Qualifer Action in Rio de Janeiro
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO) – The Americas Qualifier official event draw is complete in Rio de Janeiro and two U.S. boxers will kick off action for their U.S. team on Saturday. Heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) and light welterweight Jamel Herring (Coram, N.Y.) will compete on Saturday, boxing in the afternoon and evening sessions respectively.
Hunter will take the ring first, facing Ryan Charles of St. Lucia in the early session with Herring facing Bolivia’s Juan Loayza in the evening.
A pair of American competitors will make their event debuts on Sunday as light flyweight Santos Vasquez (Reno, Nev.) and light heavyweight Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.) compete in the Olympic qualifying event. Vasquez will battle Puerto Rico’s Jantomy Ortiz and Brown will challenge Declan Calliste of Trinidad and Tobago.
The final three American boxers will open action on Monday with lightweight Jose Ramirez (Avenal, Calif.), middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) and super heavyweight Dominic Breazale (Alhambra, Calif.) all boxing on the third day of action. Ramirez will take on Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Alexander, Gausha will face Nicaragua’s Oliver Ballestro and Breazale will battle Venezuela’s Jose Payares.
The Americas Qualifier tournament is a single elimination tournament and Vasquez, Hunter and Breazale need a top three finish to qualify, Ramirez and Browne must advance to the semifinals and Herring and Gausha must place in the top five to earn a spot in London. The bios for all of the international competitors are attached.
Preliminary competition begins today with opening round action taking place at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. Preliminary round action will continue through Tuesday with two sessions daily at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The all-important quarterfinal round bouts will be contested at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9. The athletes will enjoy an off day on Thursday, May 10 before returning to the ring for semifinal action at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, May 11. Championship action will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday prior to a championship banquet.
Coaches Joe Guzman (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tom Mustin (Tacoma, Wash.) Manny Robles (Paramount, Calif.), and Andy Smith (Chattanooga, Tenn.) are leading the team in Brazil. Ken Buffington (Marshalltown, Iowa), is serving as the Team Manager for the event with Dr. Armando Sanchez (Milwaukee, Wis.) joining the squad as Team Physician.