(MAY 19) Nine U.S. boxers will
take the ring to box for gold today at the Women’s Continental
Championships in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. Six members of Team
USA earned semifinal wins on Saturday to join their three
teammates in today’s final round action.
Bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) won her
long-awaited tournament debut on Saturday in semifinal round
competition. She earned a 26-13 decision over Marcia Silva in
their bantamweight contest to advance to the finals where she
will face Argentina’s Leonola Sanchez.
Featherweight Jennifer Hamann (Seattle, Wash.) took the ring for
her first international bout on Saturday and she enjoyed an
impressive opener in her semifinal round bout with Canada’s
Caroline Veyre. Hamann won a 24-14 decision over Veyre to punch
her ticket for a final round bout with Argentina’s Karen
Carvajal.
2012 U.S. Olympic lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.)
pulled out the victory in her highly anticipated bout with 2011
Pan Amerian Games champion Kiria Tapia of Puerto Rico. Underwood
claimed a 15-13 victory and will battle Argentina’s Dayana
Sanchez in the lightweight finale.
Light welterweight Bertha Aracil (Yonkers, N.Y.) enjoyed another
dominating victory in her semifinal match-up with Maria Ortega
of Bolivia. Aracil’s 21-1 win over Ortega advanced her on to a
match-up with Sara Kali of Canada in the final round contest.
Danyelle Wolf (San Diego, Calif.) won the fifth bout of the
night for Team USA in a welterweight contest with Kimbery
Gittens of Barbados, taking a 13-4 victory. She will face off
with Brazil’s Jessica Carline in the championship bout on
Sunday.
The United States squad’s night concluded in middleweight action
as Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) faced off with Francelis
Carmona of Venezuela. Crews won a 21-11 decision over Carmona to
move on to the middleweight championship bout with Yeneiber
Guillen of the Dominican Republic. Guillen defeated former world
champion Mary Spencer of Canada to join Crews in the finals.
Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas), light heavyweight
Tiffanie Hearn (Oxnard, Calif.) and heavyweight Denise Rico (Los
Angeles, Calif.) will compete in Sunday’s final round
competition as well based upon their semifinal victories earlier
in the week.
2000 U.S. Olympic Coach Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.), Benny
Roman (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Eugene Hart (Philadelphia, Pa.) are
serving as the U.S. coaches for the 2013 Women’s Continental
Championships.
More than 60 athletes from 15 countries are competing in the
event in all 10 women’s weight divisions. The women’s
continental championships is the third international event in
the last three weeks for USA Boxing with U.S. junior athletes
winning a combined 16 medals, including eight gold, in the
Prikka and Victory Day Tournaments earlier in the month. The
elite men will be the final group to compete with 10 male
athletes heading to Puerto Rico on Sunday.
Saturday’s U.S. Results
119 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y./USA dec. Marcia Silva,
BRA, 26-13
125 lbs: Jennifer Hamann, Seattle, Wash./USA dec. Caroline Veyre,
CAN, 24-14
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec. Kiria Tapia,
PUR, 15-13
141 lbs: Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y./USA dec. Maria Ortega, BOL,
21-1
152 lbs: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif./USA dec. Kimberly
Gittens, BAR, 13-4
165 lbs: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md./USA dec. Francelis
Carmona, VEN, 21-11
WBAN
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