(AUG 2) LIMA, Peru --
Team USA won five bronze medals yesterday and advanced five
boxers to the championship bouts of the 2019 Pan American Games
in Lima, Peru after two semifinal sessions took place at the
Coliseo Miguel Grau.
The Americans had a rough and challenging start to the first
session of the semifinal bouts, with three heartbreaking loses
for Delante Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio), Yarisel Ramirez (Las
Vegas, Nev.) and team captain Richard Torrez Jr. (Tulare,
Calif.). All three boxers left all they had in the ring,
however, fell short in taking the judges cards to earn Team USA
three bronze medals to start the day.
Welterweight Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) got the team back on
track with a 4-1 decision over Dominican Republics M. Moronta
Hernand to advance to the championship bout. This will be Jones
second international final of 2019, and she is three-for-three
medaling this year internationally.
2017 World Championships silver medalists Duke Ragan
(Cincinnati, Ohio) got Team USA off to a great start in the
second session of the day by taking all five judges' cards over
Uruguay to advance to the finals. Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk, Va.)
kept the ball rolling for the Americans with his own unanimous
decision victory over Trinidad and Tobago's Michael Alexander to
advance.
2019 Pan American Games Qualifier Champions Troy Isley
(Alexandria, Va.) and Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) could not
repeat their successes from Nicaragua, with tough split decision
losses in the second session to a duo from Brazil.
Team Captain and 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier Virginia
Fuchs (Houston, Texas) got one step closer to another
international title, grabbing another unanimous decision victory
over I. Rojas Cardozo of Venezuela to box for gold in Friday's
second set of finals. Fuchs 2018 World Championships bronze
medalist teammate, Naomi Graham (Colorado Springs, Colo.),
closed out the day for Team USA with a 3-2 decision over Flavia
Tereza Figueiredo of Brazil to be the fifth American to advance
to the finals.
Semifinals Results
51 kg: Virginia Fuchs, Houston, Texas/USA, dec. I. Rojas
Cardozo/VEN, 5-0
56 kg: Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, Ohio/USA, dec. Lucas Alexander
Fernandez/URU, 5-0
57 kg: Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu/BRA dec. over Yarisel Ramirez,
Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 5-0
60 kg: B. Ferreira Soares/BRA dec. over Rashida Ellis, Lynn,
Mass./USA, 3-2
64 kg: Keyshawn Davis, Norfolk, Va./USA, dec. over Michael
Alexander/TTO, 5-0
64 kg: Oshae Jones, Toledo, Ohio/USA, dec. over M. Moronta
Hernand/DOM, 4-1
69 kg: Iglesias Sotolongo/CUB, dec. over Delante Johnnson,
Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 4-1
75 kg: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. over Flavia
Tereza Figueiredo/BRA, 3-2
75 kg: Herbert Carvalho Da Conceic/BRA dec. over Troy Isley,
Alexandria, Va,/USA, 4-1
91+ kg: Justiz Pero/CUB, dec. over Richard Torrez Jr., Tulare,
Calif./USA, 3-2