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02/13/2004 Archived Entry: "Road to the 2004 Olympics: Amateurs to Watch"
Road to the 2004 Olympics: Amateurs to Watch
A Recap of Recent Results
By Adam Pollack
The 2004 Olympics are around the corner, so here is a review of the top amateurs who have earned berths into the 2004 Olympic Trials. There are 8 spots in the Olympic Trials tournament - the winners of the 2003 U.S. Challenge, 2003 Golden Gloves, 2003 Police Athletic League, 2003 Armed Forces, 2004 U.S. Championships (2 spots - the champion and silver medallist), Eastern Trials, and Western Trials. A boxer can only take one spot. If a boxer has won more than one of these tournament spots, his second and subsequent spots will go to the next highest finisher in the tournaments he won after already qualifying for the Trials.
On a larger scale, the Olympic Trials/Box Offs is a double elimination tournament. The Trials tournament has a winners and losers bracket. The undefeated winner of the Olympic Trials advances to the subsequent Olympic Box-Offs. Each boxer that has lost in the Trials boxes another boxer that has previously lost, and the winner of the losers bracket continues to advance until a final bout with the boxer who lost in the Trials finals.
In the later Box-Offs tournament, the winner of the loser’s bracket from the Olympic Trials faces the Trials winner and must defeat him twice, on consecutive days, whereas the Trials winner need only win once to become America’s Olympic representative. Thus, in the aggregate, everyone from the Trials must lose twice to be out.
The Olympic Trials will be held February 16-21 in Tunica, Mississippi. The Box Offs will be held February 27-28 in Cleveland, Ohio.
What follows is a recap of the past year’s results:
106
Tops at 106 are Rayonta Whitfield, Austreberto Juarez, Raushee Warren, Roberto Castillo, Diego Hurtado, Wiley McCanery, and Rick Lopez, all of whom have earned a berth into the 2004 Olympic Trials. No one entered the Eastern Trials, and therefore that spot will go unfilled.
Gauging the field: This division is really about Juarez, Whitfield and the fast developing young Warren. Hurtado would be the always competitive dark horse, but the others have no chance to be the Olympic representative.
2003 U.S. Championships
Although the 2003 U.S. Championships winner does not receive a spot in the Trials, a recap of the tournament provides a nice starting point to review the year’s best boxers, and its semifinalists determine the competitors in the 2003 U.S. Challenge, which is a Trials qualifying tournament.
Austreberto Juarez won the 2003 U.S. Championships by defeating 2002 PAL Champion James Lester, Jr. 20-9.
Runner-up Lester, Jr. had defeated 2002 National Golden Gloves Champion Rayonta Whitfield 21-20 in the semis. Whitfield had earlier defeated Wiley McCanery 23-5.
Austreberto Juarez defeated former junior champion Israel Crespo 12-9 in the 2003 U.S. semis before defeating Lester, Jr. in the final. Crespo earlier defeated Roberto Castillo on a DQ3. James Lester, Jr. had won the 2002 PAL with a 6-5 win over Crespo. At the 2002 PAL, Crespo had a WDQ3 over Whitfield.
U.S. Challenge
The U.S. Challenge consists of the semifinalists from the U.S. Championships facing the opposite semifinalists.
At the 2003 U.S. Challenge, in the final, Rayonta Whitfield avenged his defeat to James Lester, Jr. 10-6, to gain the first available spot in the Olympic Trials. In the semis, Whitfield defeated Austreberto Juarez via 4th round disqualification. Lester, Jr. defeated Israel Crespo in the other semi, 9-7.
Golden Gloves
Austreberto Juarez won the 2003 National Golden Gloves, defeating Derrick McFadden 5-0 in the final, gaining a spot in the Olympic Trials. Juarez defeated Whitfield in the semi, 3-2. Whitfield earlier defeated Wiley McCanery 5-0.
PAL
In the PAL final, 2002 Junior Olympic champion Raushee Warren impressively defeated Jose Hernandez via RSCO-3 to gain a berth in the Olympic Trials. Hernandez had defeated Issac Moreno 9-2. Moreno had defeated Roberto Castillo 6-2.
Warren's wins included a 12-10 decision over Diego Hurtado, who had earlier defeated James Lester, Jr. 10-5. Warren also defeated Wiley McCanery 21-12.
Armed Forces
Roberto Castillo is the Armed Forces Trials representative.
2004 U.S. Championships
Austreberto Juarez won the title by defeating Rau’Shee Warren 15-13 in the final. Warren did not have to box in the semis as he won in a walkover against Whitfield.
Juarez defeated Wiley McCanery 29-15 in the semis and Diego Hurtado 28-22 in the quarters. McCanery and Hurtado both receive Trials berths because Juarez and Warren were already in. McCanery had earlier defeated Rick Lopez 20-18. Hurtado had won on 2nd round retirement over Roberto Castillo.
Eastern Trials
There was no 106 pound Eastern Trials representative.
Western Trials
Rick Lopez defeated Christopher Velardez 18-16 in the final.
112
Raul Martinez, Ron Siler, Mark Davis, Jose Casasola, Charles Huerta, David Clark, Francisco Rodriguez, and Aaron Alafa have gained entry into the Olympic Trials.
Gauging the field: Martinez and Siler are the division’s two best and will likely battle it out for the top spot. Davis is a developing young talent, but certainly the underdog against the more experienced Martinez and Siler. The rest haven’t a chance.
2003 U.S. Championships
Raul Martinez won the 2003 U.S. Championships, defeating Roberto Benitez 22-18 to repeat as U.S. Champion. Benitez was the 2001 U.S. Champion, and the 2001 U.S. Challenge winner, having defeated Martinez in both tournaments. Yet, Martinez held a previous win over Benitez 16-15 in the 2002 U.S. Championships final. Martinez was also the 2002 PAL Champion, having defeated former 106 pound champion Aaron Alafa 20-10 on the way to that title.
Benitez had advanced to the U.S. final by defeating Ron Siler 18-17. Siler was the 2000 Golden Gloves, 2000 PAL, 2001 U.S., and 2001 U.S. Challenge champion at 106 pounds, and the 2001 PAL, 2002 U.S. Challenge, and the 2002 Golden Gloves champion at 112 pounds. Siler had previously defeated Benitez in the 2002 Golden Gloves final and in the 2002 U.S. Challenge.
Earlier in the U.S. tournament, Siler defeated 2000 PAL champion, Roberto Ceron, 34-6.
Raul Martinez had defeated Saul Gonzalez 21-6, who had previously defeated 2001 National Golden Gloves Champion Francisco Rodriguez, 23-10.
U.S. Challenge
Raul Martinez won the 2003 U.S. Challenge, again defeating Roberto Benitez, 27-12. In the semis, Martinez defeated Ron Siler 13-13 (56-42). Martinez has a win over Siler 11-9 at the 2002 U.S. Championships, but Siler had defeated Martinez in the 2002 U.S. Challenge, 17-13.
Golden Gloves
Ron Siler won the 2003 Golden Gloves, defeating Noel Mendoza 4-1 in the final. Siler defeated Roberto Benitez 4-1 in the semi. Benitez had earlier defeated Francisco Rodriguez 4-1.
PAL
At the 2003 PAL, Ron Siler defeated 2002 Junior Olympic Champion Mark Davis 20-5.
Earlier, Davis scored a 22-15 victory over three-time U.S. Champion Roberto Benitez. Davis also had a 19-7 victory over Charles Huerta.
Siler earlier defeated David Clark 22-7.
Because Siler had already qualified for the Olympic Trials by winning the 2003 Golden Gloves, Davis received the PAL spot into the 2004 Trials tournament.
Armed Forces
The Armed Forces representative at 112 pounds is Jose Casasola.
2004 U.S. Championships
In the final, Ron Siler defeated Charles Huerta 19-10. Siler defeated David Clark 25-5 in the semis. Huerta and Clark both receive Trials berths because Siler was already in. Clark earlier defeated Jose Casasola 19-12.
Siler defeated Aaron Alafa 18-5 in the quarters.
Eastern Trials
Francisco Rodriguez defeated Teon Kennedy 24-19 in the final.
Western Trials
Aaron Alafa defeated Jerry Pavich 28-17 in the final, but had a close 19-19 (68-55) victory over Alton Jaurigui in the semi. Alafa also defeated Saul Gonzalez 32-11.
119
Samson Guillermo, Sergio Ramos Eric Hunter, Torrence Daniels, Roberto Benitez, Rashiem Jefferson, Kevin Hudgins, and Miguel Albares have gained berths into the Trials.
Gauging the division: This is a difficult division to measure because there is a fair amount of parity. Right now, Guillermo, Ramos, and Hunter probably have a slight edge over Benitez, Hudgins, Daniels, Jefferson and Albares, but don’t count anyone out. This division should provide some interesting and close matchups in the Trials.
2003 U.S. Championships
The U.S. Championships winner was Samson Guillermo, who defeated Rafael Valenzuela 22-7 in the final. Valenzuela had defeated Kevin Hudgins 20-10 in the semis, and had also earlier defeated 2002 PAL champion, Torrence Daniels, 17-14, and former 106 pound champion Aaron Alafa 32-22.
Guillermo earlier defeated Troy Wohosky 21-13, who had defeated Sergio Ramos 3-2.
Guillermo's previous best showing had been at the 2001 U.S. Challenge, where he lost in the final to Johnny Vasquez, 12-10.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 U.S. Challenge, Samson Guillermo again defeated Rafael Valenzuela, this time much closer, 11-11 (47-37). Guillermo won a close match in the semis, defeating Kevin Hudgins 15-14. In the consolation, Troy Wohosky defeated Hudgins 19-18.
Golden Gloves
Sergio Ramos won the Golden Gloves, defeating Torrence Daniels 5-0 in the final. Earlier, Ramos defeated Kevin Hudgins 4-1.
PAL
2003 Junior Olympic champion Eric Hunter won the PAL, defeating Sytel Wilbarn in the final, 9-3.
To advance to the final, Wilbarn had narrowly defeated three-time Golden Gloves champion Rashiem Jefferson 10-9. Jefferson had won a close one over Jamal Parram 16-14, who had defeated Troy Wohosky 12-7. Wilbarn also defeated 2002 PAL champion Torrence Daniels 5-2.
Hunter earlier defeated Eric Nemo 9-7, and just edged Diego Magdaleno 14-14 (61-45). Magdaleno had defeated Chris Green 13-4, who had won 7-6 over Aaron Alafa.
Hunter also defeated Rafael Valenzuela 9-6, who has fallen just short in close bouts in multiple tournaments.
Armed Forces
The 2003 U.S. Armed Forces Championships Olympic Trials representative at 119 pounds is Torrence Daniels.
2004 U.S. Championships
In the close final, Roberto Benitez defeated Torrence Daniels 19-18. Daniels had earlier defeated Sytel Wilbarn 17-9, avenging his PAL loss to Wilbarn.
Benitez earlier defeated Rashiem Jefferson 36-17, who had defeated Kevin Hudgins 23-12. Jefferson receives a Trials spot because Daniles is already in.
Benitez also defeated Rafael Valenzuela 26-21.
Eastern Trials
Kevin Hudgins won the Eastern Trials with a 31-13 victory over Jamal Parram in the final. Hudgins had defeated Eric Nemo 32-18 and John Jackson 37-36.
Western Trials
Miguel Albares defeated Sytel Wilbarn in the close final, 16-15. Wilbarn had defeated Troy Wohosky 18-18 (87-85).
Albares also defeated Rafael Valenzuela 34-28.
125
Atop the 125 pound division are Trials representatives Aaron Garcia, Carney Bowman, Mickey Bey, Jr. , Johnnie Edwards, Brandon Rios, Ray Lampkin, Danny Williams, and Diego Magdaleno.
Gauging the division: Garcia, Bowman, and Bey, Jr. sit atop the division, followed by Williams and Rios, who are in turn followed by Lampkin, Magdaleno, and Edwards.
2003 U.S. Championships
Jose Perez, Jr. won the 2003 U.S. Championships, demonstrating the ability to win close ones. He defeated 2002 Golden Gloves and PAL champion, Mickey Bey, Jr., in the final, 23-22.
Bey, Jr. advanced to the final by defeating Dat Nguyen, 17-17 (72-66). Nguyen had defeated Johnnie Edwards, 28-20, who in turn had defeated Ray Lampkin 7-6.
Bey, Jr. earlier defeated Danny Williams 42-29.
Perez, Jr. won his semifinal, 9-7 over 2001 Golden Gloves champion and former 119 pound champion, Aaron Garcia. Garcia had defeated 2002 U.S. and U.S. Challenge champion Johnny Vasquez, Jr., 8-2.
On the way to the championship, Perez, Jr. also defeated Miguel Gonzalez 17-16, and Apollo Welch, 12-11. Perez, Jr. had previously been the runner up at the 2001 U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge.
U.S. Challenge
In the 2003 U.S. Challenge final, Aaron Garcia turned the tables on Perez, Jr., defeating him in their rematch, 7-6. Garcia previously defeated Bey, Jr. 14-12. Perez, Jr. had advanced to the final by defeating Dat Nguyen 6-4, avenging his 2002 U.S. Championships 8-7 loss to Nguyen.
Golden Gloves
Carney Bowman won the Golden Gloves, defeating Bey, Jr. 3-2 in the final. Bey, Jr. had defeated Brandon Rios 5-0, who earlier had upset Perez, Jr. 4-1.
Bowman also defeated Ray Lampkin 4-1 and Danny Williams 3-2. Lampkin earlier defeated Johnnie Edwards 5-0.
PAL
2002 PAL champion Mickey Bey, Jr. won the 2003 PAL in odd fashion, in a walkover in the final over his brother, Cortez Bey, who chose not to box, apparently owing to the brothers' desire not to box one another.
Ironically, Cortez Bey had the better overall tournament, having defeated 2003 U.S. Champion Jose Perez, Jr. 10-6, Dat Nguyen 42-25, and Matt Remillard 17-11. Perez, Jr. had defeated Noel Rodriguez 4-3, who had previously defeated Ray Lampkin 13-5.
Armed Forces
The Armed Forces representative in the Trials is Johnnie Edwards, who defeated James Dubois 15-8 in the final of their championships.
2004 U.S. Championships
Brandon Rios won the tournament, stopping Ray Lampkin in the 4th round of their final. Lampkin earlier defeated Jenkins Alvarez 3-0 (paper scoring), who had won an 18-16 decision over Johnnie Edwards. Lampkin also defeated Matt Remillard 21-10.
Rios previously defeated Christopher Rizo 24-15, Ray Robinson 36-17, and Noel Rodriguez 19-13.
Eastern Trials
Danny Williams defeated Chris Green 18-4. Green had defeated Matt Remillard 23-21 and Dat Nguyen 15-15 (67-64). Williams earlier stopped Ray Robinson via RSCO-3.
Western Trials
Diego Magdaleno defeated Juan Garcia 18-17 in the final. Magdaleno earlier defeated James Dubois 14-4.
132
Karl Dargan, Anthony Peterson, Victor Ortiz, Hector Ramos, David Rodela, Anthony Vasquez, Miguel Gonzalez, and Vincente Escobedo are the Trials representatives.
Gauging the division: This is another division with a fair amount of parity, but I place Ortiz, Peterson, Escobedo, and Dargan at the top, followed by Rodela, Vasquez, Gonzalez and Ramos. I have a good feeling about the young Ortiz.
2003 U.S. Championships
2002 PAL Champion Vicente Escobedo won the 2003 U.S. Championships, defeating Weston Ferguson 17-10. Ferguson had defeated Antonio Johnson 7-3 in the semis. Johnson previously defeated Mahlon Kerwick 12-10 and Anthony Peterson, 2-1. More importantly, Ferguson defeated 2002 U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge champion, Verquan Kimbrough, 30-20. Kimbrough held a 22-14 win over champion Escobedo in the 2002 U.S. Challenge. Ferguson also defeated Hector Ramos, stopping him in the 3rd round of their bout.
In the semifinals, Escobedo defeated Karl Dargan 17-12. Escobedo earlier defeated Aaron Bensinger 16-8.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 Challenge, Karl Dargan defeated Weston Ferguson 16-6, and won on a walkover against Antonio Johnson, who had defeated Escobedo in a close 8-7 decision.
Golden Gloves
Anthony Peterson won the Golden Gloves, defeating Jose Orozco 5-0 in the final. Orozco had defeated Aaron Bensinger 4-1, who had defeated Weston Ferguson 4-1 and Miguel Gonzalez 5-0.
Peterson defeated Danny Jimenez 3-2 in the semi and earlier defeated Andres Chipres 5-0. Chipres had defeated Karl Dargan 4-1.
PAL
At the PAL, 2003 Junior Olympic champion Victor Ortiz defeated David Rodela in the final, 15-6.
Rodela had earlier defeated Van Oscar Penovaroff 20-16. Penovaroff had defeated Marshall Christmas 8-6. Christmas had defeated Andres Chipres 12-6 and Tyrone Harris 5-4. Harris had defeated 2003 U.S. champion Vincente Escobedo 12-12 (61-44). Rodela also defeated Leonel Madrigal 14-6.
Victor Ortiz also defeated Miguel Gonzalez 7-5. Gonzalez had defeated Mahlon Kerwick 14-0 and Johnnie Edwards 7-3. Ortiz also defeated Weston Ferguson 6-2.
Armed Forces
The Armed Forces championships winner was Hector Ramos, who defeated Mahlon Kerwick 18-13 in the final of that tournament.
2004 U.S. Championships
David Rodela won the tournament, defeating Anthony Vasquez 19-9 in the final. Vasquez had defeated Vincente Escobedo 7-3 and Leonel Madrigal 13-7. Escobedo had earlier defeated Hector Ramos 12-1.
Rodela also defeated Van Oscar Penovaroff 25-18, who had defeated Mahlon Kerwick 14-12.
Eastern Trials
Miguel Gonzalez stopped Isaiah Williams-Windley via RSCO-4 in the final. Gonzalez also defeated Van Oscar Penovaroff 29-27 and Michael Evans 25-25 (99-83).
Western Trials
Vincente Escobedo defeated Sadot Vasquez 29-9 in the final. Vasquez had defeated Leonel Madrigal 19-13, Mahlon Kerwick 18-18 (76-59), and Andres Chipres via RSC-4. Madrigal had defeated Jose Perez, Jr. 12-11.
Escobedo also defeated Danny Jimenez 19-15.
141
Lamont Peterson, Lorenzo Reynolds, Rock Allen, Keith Mason, Devon Alexander, Antonio Johnson, Chad Aquino, and Dominic Chavez are the top 141 pounders.
Gauging the division: Lamont Peterson is the favorite, followed by Rock Allen, Lorenzo Reynolds, and Devon Alexander, who are followed by Chad Aquino, Antonio Johnson, Dominic Chavez and Keith Mason.
2003 U.S. Championships
Lamont Peterson won the 2003 U.S. Championships by defeating 2001 and 2002 U.S. champion Rock Allen, 21-13. Allen had previously defeated Peterson at the 2002 U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge. In the semis, Allen defeated Keith Mason 21-3.
In the semis, Peterson defeated 2001 Golden Gloves champion Chad Aquino, 14-8. Aquino had previously defeated 2002 PAL champion Lorenzo Reynolds 17-14.
Peterson also defeated Dominic Chavez 29-18.
U.S. Challenge
Lamont Peterson again defeated Chad Aquino to win the U.S. Challenge, 11-4. Peterson also defeated Keith Mason 14-2.
Golden Gloves
Lorenzo Reynolds won the Golden Gloves, defeating Devon Alexander 5-0 in the final. Allen competed in the tournament, but Alexander won on a walkover over Allen in the quarters for reasons unknown.
Reynolds also had a 3-2 win over Keith Mason, who had a 3-2 win over Dominic Chavez.
PAL
At the PAL, three-time U.S. champion Rock Allen defeated 2002 Junior Olympic champion Devon Alexander in a close 9-7 final bout. Alexander had earlier defeated Antonio Johnson 7-1 and Keith Mason 21-3. Johnson had defeated Dominic Chavez 7-5.
Allen also defeated Chad Acquino 19-9.
Armed Forces
Keith Mason won the Armed Forces Championships, defeating Robert Luna, Jr. 25-4 in the final after closely defeating Eric Canales 8-8 (90-80) in the semis.
2004 U.S. Championships
Devon Alexander won on a walkover against Antonio Johnson. Alexander had defeated Charles Hatley 11-8, and Dominic Chavez 26-10. Johnson won on a walkover against Nick Casal, who had defeated Chad Aquino 23-22.
Eastern Trials
Chad Aquino defeated Omri Lowther 25-16 in the final.
Western Trials
Dominic Chavez defeated Charles Hatley 33-22 in the final, after defeating Aaron Bensinger 2-1 (paper scoring) and Jose Orozco 13-11.
152
Juan McPherson, Andre Berto, Edward Joseph, Boyd Melson, Austin Trout, Rudy Cisneros, Cory Jones, and Vanes Martirosyan are the Trials representatives. This is an interesting division because 147 and 156 have been eliminated. Thus, smaller 156-pounders and larger 147-pounders meet in the middle.
Gauging the division. Juan McPherson is the division favorite, followed by Berto. Trout, Martirosyan and Joseph come next, followed by Cisneros and Jones.
2003 U.S. Championships
Juan McPherson won the 2003 U.S. Championships by defeating 2000 PAL and 2001 156 pound Golden Gloves champion Andre Berto 17-9 in the final. Berto had defeated 2001 PAL 147 pound champion Timothy Bradley 14-7, who had defeated 2002 Golden Gloves 147 pound champion Durrell Richardson 2-1. Richardson had defeated Rudy Cisneros 12-10.
Also at the 2003 U.S. Championships, McPherson defeated 2002 PAL champion at 147, Anthony Dirrell, 17-11. Dirrell had defeated 147 pound 2002 U.S. champion Rondale Mason 8-6.
McPherson was the runner-up in the 2002 U.S. Championships to Rondale Mason at 147 pounds, but defeated Mason at the 2002 U.S. Challenge.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 U.S. Challenge, Juan McPherson defeated Andre Berto again, 15-7. In the semis, Berto defeated Anthony Dirrell 16-8 and McPherson defeated Timothy Bradley 21-3.
Golden Gloves
Andre Berto won the Golden Gloves, defeating Timothy Bradley 5-0 in the final. Berto defeated Abdon Lozano, Jr. 4-1 in the semis. Lozano, Jr. had defeated Edward Joseph 4-1, who had defeated Rondale Mason 5-0. Berto stopped Nick Casal in the quarters, who had defeated Anthony Dirrell 3-2.
PAL
Edward Joseph won a very close PAL final, 7-5, over Maxell Taylor. Joseph joins his 165-pound brother Clarence Joseph as another Olympic trials qualifier.
Maxell Taylor had close victories over Marvin Cordova, Jr., 9-8, and 9-7 over William Norman. Cordova, Jr. had defeated Boyd Melson 8-4.
Joseph won close agaisnt short but aggressive Timothy Bradley 9-7, and also edged out a 9-6 victory against Rondale Mason.
Armed Forces
Boyd Melson won the Armed Forces crown.
2004 U.S. Championships
Austin Trout stopped Rudy Cisneros via RSC-3 in the final. Cisneros had won on a DQ-2 against Vanes Martirosyan. Martirosyan had earlier defeated Rondale Mason 20-6.
Trout also defeated Edward Joseph 18-18 (85-84) and Enrique Gutierrez 9-7.
Eastern Trials
Cory Jones won on administrative disqualification over Daniel Jacobs in the final.
Western Trials
Vanes Martirosyan defeated Enrique Gutierrez 31-11 in the final, after earlier defeating Timothy Bradley 35-22.
165
Trials representatives at 165 are Andre Dirrell, Clarence Joseph, Joe Greene, James Johnson, Jr., Julius Fogle, Joel Castillo, Saeed Hawkins, and James Parison.
Gauging the division: Andre Dirrell is the favoirte. He hit a serious growth spurt, because he was the 2001 national champion at 125 pounds. There is a fair amount of parity amongst the rest.
2003 U.S. Championships
Andre Dirrell won the 2003 U.S. Championships, defeating 2002 U.S. and U.S. Challenge winner at 156 pounds, Jesus Gonzales 14-8. Gonzalez had defeated Leon Hinds 18-13, James McGirt 45-14, and Clarence Joseph 29-7. McGirt had defeated Yukence Andino 13-5.
Dirrell defeated Joe Greene 15-7 in the semis. Greene had defeated 2002 U.S. champion and U.S. Challenge winner, and 2002 PAL champion Julius Fogle 12-8. Dirrell also defeated DonYil Livingston 13-4.
U.S. Challenge
Andre Dirrell won the 2003 U.S. Challenge, defeating Leon Hinds 15-4 and again defeating Jesus Gonzales, this time in a closer 5-5 (30-24) score.
Golden Gloves
Clarence Joseph won the Golden Gloves, defeating Jesus Gonzales 5-0 in the final. Joseph defeated Yaqin Abdullah 4-1 in the semi. Abdullah had defeated Joe Greene 3-2.
Joseph also defeated Jaidon Codrington 3-2. Codrington had defeated former 2001 147 pound Golden Gloves champion James Parison 5-0. Another good win for Joseph was a 5-0 victory over James McGirt.
PAL
At the PAL, 2003 Under 19 Champion southpaw Joe Greene defeated 2001 Under 19 Champion Donyil Livingston 8-3. Livingston had defeated Curtis Jones 7-3. Jones earlier defeated Julius Fogle 4-1.
Earlier, Greene defeated James Johnson, Jr. 5-4, who had defeated James McGirt 14-10. Greene also defeated Mike Martinez 12-5.
Armed Forces
James Johnson, Jr. won the Armed Forces title, defeating Mike Martinez in the final via RSC4. Martinez had defeated Clarence Joseph 18-16 in the semis.
2004 U.S. Championships
James Johnson Jr. defeated Julius Fogle 25-17 in the final. In the semis, Johnson defeated Anthony Dirrell 15-14 and Fogle defeated Joel Castillo 24-23. Because Fogle is already in the Trials and Dirrell is competing at 178 in the Trials, Castillo received a spot. Castillo had victories over James Parison 40-26, DonYil Livingston via RSC-3, and Mike Martinez 16-12.
Eastern Trials
Saeed Hawkins defeated William Prieto 25-11 in the final. Prieto had defeated Mike Martinez 13-12 and Curtis Jones 9-8.
Western Trials
James Parison defeated Jorge Hernandez 23-15 in the final. Hernandez had defeated DonYil Livingston 12-7.
178
Andre Ward, DeAndrey Abron, Jonathan Banks, Jacob Garretson, Marcus Johnson, Ivan Stovall, Anthony Dirrell, and Yukence Andino are the Trials representatives.
Gauging the division: Ward sits atop the division, followed by Abron, Banks, Johnson and Garretson, and possibly Dirrell.
2003 U.S. Championships
A former 2001 U.S. and U.S. challenge champion at 165, Andre Ward won the 2003 U.S. Championships at 178 pounds, defeating Rommel Rene 15-0 in the final. Rene had defeated 2002 PAL champion, Jacob Garretson 14-5 and Jonathan Banks, 16-11.
Ward defeated 2002 U.S. champion Curtis Stevens 22-0 in the semis. Ward had his toughest match against Anthony Stewart, winning 8-8 (46-30). In an earlier bout, Ward defeated Ivan Stovall 14-0.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 Challenge, Andre Ward again defeated Rommel Rene in the final, 23-5. Rene defeated Curtis Stevens 11-9 and Ward also defeated Jonathon Banks 14-1.
Golden Gloves
2001 U.S. and U.S. Challenge, and 2001 PAL champion DeAndrey Abron won the Golden Gloves, defeating Johnathan Banks 3-2 in the final. Banks had stopped Marcus Pernell, who had defeated Yukence Andino 3-2.
Abron defeated Tylon Burris 5-0 in the quarters. Burris had earlier defeated former heavyweight Jacob Gentry 4-1. Abron also defeated Rommel Rene 5-0.
PAL
At the PAL, Johnathan Banks defeated 2003 Under 19 Champion Marcus Johnson 20-15.
Marcus Johnson looked very good in defeating Jacob Gentry 11-7, who had won close against Jaidon Codrington 20-16. Johnson also defeated Rommel Rene 12-4.
Banks earlier defeated Ivan Stovall 7-4.
Armed Forces
DeAndrey Abron won the Armed Forces Championships, defeating Jacob Garretson 14-14 (67-50), but because Abron already has a berth into the Trials, Garretson receives the Armed Forces designation.
2004 U.S. Championships
In the final, Marcus Johnson defeated Ivan Stovall 23-16. Johnson won his semifinal bout against DeAndrey Abron on a walkover, after Abron had defeated Jaidon Codrington 27-26. Stovall defeated Marcus Pernell 16-1 and Jacob Garretson 23-15. Garretson had defeated Rommel Rene 13-7.
Eastern Trials
Anthony Dirrell defeated Rommel Rene 30-12 in the final. Rene had defeated Jaidon Codrington 42-35.
Dirrell defeated Max Alexander 29-10, who had defeated Curtis Stevens 27-26.
Western Trials
Yukence Andino defeated Angel Landrau 19-8. Andino also defeated Marcus Pernell 24-9.
201
Devin Vargas, Charles Ellis, Aaron Williams, Charles Leverette, Matt Godfrey, Chazz Witherspoon, Robert Jacobs, and Deon Elam compete for top honors at 201.
Gauging the division: Vargas, Ellis and Williams are the favorites, followed by Godfrey.
2003 U.S. Championships
2001 Golden Gloves and PAL champion Devin Vargas won the 2003 U.S. Championships with an RSC-3 over former 178 pound junior champion Aaron Williams.
Williams had stopped Charles Ellis via RSC1 in his semifinal bout and had previously defeated 2002 Golden Gloves champion Matthew Godfrey 14-13.
Vargas won his semifinal bout against Francisco Palacios 27-7. Palacios had defeated Kimdo Bethel 12-1, who had defeated Deon Elam 10-10 (37-30).
Vargas also defeated Charles Leverette 28-8.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 U.S. Challenge, Devin Vargas defeated Charles Ellis 23-13, and Francisco Palacios 20-4.
Golden Gloves
Charles Ellis won the Golden Gloves, defeating Aaron Williams 5-0 in the final. Williams defeated Matt Godfrey 3-2 in the semi
Ellis stopped Devin Vargas in the semi and also had a 5-0 win over Kimdo Bethel. Vargas had stopped Mike Marrone, and won on disqualification over Deon Elam, who had defeated Chazz Witherspoon 5-0.
PAL
Aaron Williams defeated Matthew Godfrey 7-4 in the final, but not without a struggle, being dropped once. Godfrey had defeated Chazz Witherspoon 9-3, and Zachary Page 14-1, who had defeated Israel Spencer 4-4 (27-24).
Williams previously defeated Charles Leverette 8-3. Leverette had defeated Kimdo Bethel 7-4, who had defeated Roderick Prevost 6-2.
Armed Forces
Charles Leverette defeated Roderick Prevost 13-5 to win the Armed Forces designation in the Trials.
2004 U.S. Championships
Matt Godfrey defeated Chazz Witherspoon 13-9 in the final. Witherspoon had defeated Tim Skolnik 23-5, who had defeated Rodrick Prevost 12-9, who had defeated Kimdo Bethel 9-6. Witherspoon also defeated Francisco Palacios on a DQ-3 and Diallo Lawson on a RET-4.
Godfrey also defeated Charles Leverette 9-4
Eastern Trials
Robert Jacobs stopped Jerry Harvey via RSCO-3 in the final. Jacobs also defeated Francisco Palacios 8-5 and Roderick Prevost 16-6.
Western Trials
Deon Elam won on 2nd round retirement over Paul Saxon in their final. Elam also defeated Diallo Lawson 16-6.
201+
Jason Estrada, George Garcia, Travis Walker, Israel Spencer, Mike Wilson, Nicolai Firtha, Lonnie Zaid, and Saul Ayon vie for top honors.
Gauging the division: Estrada is the favorite.
2003 U.S. Championships
2002 PAL and U.S. Champion, and 2002 U.S. Challenge winner Jason Estrada defeated George Garcia 15-6 in the 2003 U.S. Championships final. In the semis, Garcia had defeated Nicolai Firtha 14-3, and earlier had a close 8-6 win over Alvaro Morales. Firtha had defeated Michael Wilson via RSC-2 and Travis Kauffman 9-1. Morales had defeated Travis Walker 9-4.
Estrada’s wins included Davin King 25-8, and Kevin Burnett via RSC-3.
U.S. Challenge
At the 2003 U.S. Challenge, Jason Estrada again defeated George Garcia, 6-2. Garcia had advanced to the final with a 32-13 win over Davin King. Estrada had gotten there with an 8-0 win over Nicolai Firtha. Firtha stopped King via RSC-4 in the consolation.
Golden Gloves
Travis Walker won the Golden Gloves, stopping Kevin Lightburn in the final. Lightburn had defeated Alvaro Morales 5-0 in the semi, and Davin King 5-0 in the quarters. Nicolai Firtha had been defeated by James Shorter, 3-2. Shorter was then stopped by Keith Spencer, who then lost to Alvaro Morales in the quarters.
Walker also defeated Travis Kauffman 5-0 and Cory Landy 4-1. Landy had defeated 2001 Golden Gloves champion Lonnie Zaid 3-2.
PAL
At the PAL, George Garcia defeated Mike Marrone 23-9 in the final. Marrone had defeated Cory Landy 9-6 and Mike Wilson 25-12.
Garcia impressively pounded on Travis Kauffman to win 27-4. Kaufmann had defeated Davin King 12-6. Garcia also defeated Kevin Burnett 10-5.
Armed Forces
Israel Spencer is the Armed Forces representative.
2004 U.S. Championships
Mike Wilson won the final on an administrative disqualification over Nicolai Firtha. Firtha had defeated Travis Kauffman 19-13 and Kevin Burnett 14-8.
Wilson had defeated Michael Marrone via DQ-4 and George Garcia 22-14.
Eastern Trials
Lonnie Zaid defeated Ruben Woodruff 15-3 in the final after defeating Travis Kauffman 32-17 in the semis.
Western Trials
Saul Ayon defeated Gregory Corbin 15-14 in the final after having defeated Kevin Burnett 17-15.
