( FEB 26)
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Two
more American boxers enjoyed victories in their international
openers at the 2015 Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Flyweight Virginia
Fuchs (Kemah,
Texas) and bantamweight Christina
Cruz (New
York, N.Y.) each took the ring for the first time on Wednesday
and the duo emerged victorious. Lightweight Mikaela
Mayer (Los
Angeles, Calif.) and middleweight Tika
Hemingway (Pittsburgh,
Pa.) dropped their preliminary bouts to reigning world
championships medalists on Wednesday.
Fuchs took on home nation boxer Zlatislava
Chukanova of
Bulgaria in her preliminary round contest on Wednesday. She won
a unanimous decision over Chukanova in the flyweight bout to
advance on to Thursday’s quarterfinals. Cruz scored another win
for Team USA in her match with Norway’s Camilla
Johnson in
the second U.S. bout of the day. She earned a unanimous decision
as well, defeating Johnson 3-0 to move on to the bantamweight
quarterfinals.
Hemingway took on a stiff test in
her return to the international scene, battling 2014 World
Championships silver medalist Qian
Li.
She lost a 3-0 decision to Li in the match-up, eliminating her
from the competition. Mayer opened the tournament with a victory
in yesterday’s action but she didn’t have the same success in
her bout with 2014 World Championships bronze medalist Junhua
Yin on
Wednesday. She fell to Yin by a 3-0 margin in their lightweight
bout.
Fuchs and Cruz will return to
action on Thursday, taking on the Netherlands’ Alicia Holzken
and Azerbaijan’s Anna Alimardanova respectively. Light
welterweight Rashida
Ellis (Lynn,
Mass.) will compete on Thursday as well, facing Wenlu
Yang of
China.
Coaches Israel
Acosta (Milwaukee,
Wis.) and Andrews
Soto (Phoenix,
Ariz.) are leading the U.S. squad in the first international
tournament of the year in Bulgaria.
U.S. Results
112 lbs: Virginia
Fuchs, Kemah, Texas/USA dec.
Zlatislava Chukanova, BUL, 3-0
119 lbs: Christina
Cruz, New York, N.Y./USA dec.
Camilla Johansen, NOR, 3-0
132 lbs: Junhua Yin, CHN, dec. Mikaela
Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif./USA,
3-0
165 lbs: Qian Li, CHN, dec. Tika
Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa./USA,
3-0
