D.C. & New York Fighters Show Out At U.S. Boxing Championships
Genaro Gamez Photo by Sue Jaye Johnson
by Sarah Deming
SPOKANE, Wash.–On the fourth day of competition at the U.S. National Boxing Championships, all three rings were active with 83 semi- and quarterfinal bouts.
There was too much going on to take a break for lunch or dinner, but Raquel plied me with strawberries and at some point Sue materialized with hummus and rice crisps. Contrary to popular assumption, writing is not a solo sport.
Elite bantam Stephen Fulton, Jr. of Philadelphia put on a boxing clinic that left Tacoma’s Jerrell Babour holding for dear life. Fulton’s ring intelligence put me in mind of Bernard Hopkins, so I asked if he thought there was a Philly boxing style.
“We’re aggressive,” he said. “We have a lot of heart. We can take punches and we can give them. We really want to win. I love Philly.”
Mighty New York Metro celebrated big wins for Christopher Galeano, Jayquran Hazel, Earl Newman, Jr., Bertha Aracil, and Christina Cruz, who lost her contacts in the first round and still pulled out the win.
It was a good day for DC. Gary Antonio Russell stopped Nchatxu Vang of St. Paul so fast, I missed it. Meanwhile, DC’s two-time Junior Olympic champion Malik Jackson dominated former Ringside champ Zoo Vang. The Vangs are teammates but unrelated. Both are hoping to be the first Mung world champ.[[MORE]]
Jackson gave me a tour of his tattoos: “A lion because I’m a Leo and I’d rather die with honor, wings because the sky’s the limit, my mother’s name because she’s my queen, and a castle because that’s I work for.” He has great size for flyweight and says making 114 has been easier since he stopped eating McDonalds and limited his Chipotle consumption to once a week. The only thing he can’t resist is Sour Patch Kids.
Gary Antuanne Russell’s conquerer, Genaro Gamez of San Diego, looks hard to beat at youth lightweight. The fiery boxer-puncher came here under the radar, having taken a four-year layoff to mourn the death of his brother Luisillo, whose name is embroidered on his trunks.
“It’s like an angel that’s always with me,” said Gamez.
Speaking of trunks, feast your eyes on the Denver-Mexican splendor of Melquiadez Ramirez. Handmade by Mom, these beauties almost outshone his second round stoppage.
Honorable mentions went to Cleveland’s Frederick Wilson and corner for this red camouflage ensemble that says “I’m not trying to hide my fabulousness” and super heavyweight frontrunner Cam F. Awesome in pink satin for Breast Cancer Awareness.
“Put in your article that I shave my armpits to be more aerodynamic,” said the aptly named Awesome.
The Tiara Brown-Mikaela Mayer lightweight showdown went as expected, with Brown coming forward relentlessly and Mayer showing off great lateral movement and scoring often with the hook. I saw it as a clear win for Mayer and was surprised when the split decision went to Brown, but this may be the shape of things to come. The 10-point must system recently adopted by AIBA favors the aggressor.
“We won it clear,” said Mikaela’s trainer Al Mitchell, radiating cold rage. “What do I tell her now? She was the girl who could have beat Queen.”
That remains to be seen. Tiara Brown has the skills and the hunger to dethrone the reigning champ, who has looked vulnerable in her opening two bouts.
Bronze medallist Marlen Esparza of Dallas turned in the performance of the night from the ladies, digging to the body with such ferocity that Maureeca Lambert quit on her stool. Making a woman say “no mas” is impressive. We have a higher pain tolerance than men and, I suspect, even more pride. I myself suffered mild tooth decay late in the afternoon but pressed on.