2009 AIBA World Championships

Frankie Gomez Notches His Second Victory at the 2009 World Boxing Championships in Milan

Light welterweight Frankie Gomez (Broadway, Calif.) continued his winning ways at the 2009 World Championships In Milan, Italy on Friday, winning a 16-6 decision over Levan Gvamichava of Georgia. 

After falling behind by a slim 3-2 margin after the opening round, Gomez grabbed control of the bout in the second, scoring nine points to take an 11-5 lead into the final stanza. He refused to relinquish his lead over the last three minutes and went on to win the 16-6 final decision. "My opponent was tough and strong, but he faded in the third round because of the body shots that I landed in the first and second rounds," Gomez said. "It is a great feeling and blessing to be here, but it takes hard work and dedication to get to this level. I am here to win it all, I worked too hard to come here and lose." 

The victory advances Gomez on to third round action where he will face Uzbekistan's Sanjarbek Rahmanov for a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 8^th. He was the lone U.S. boxer competing in Friday's action, but enjoyed strong support from his teammates in the stands as he notched his second straight victory of the tournament and the third consecutive win for his U.S. team following Thursday victories by light flyweight Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) and featherweight Kevin Rivers (Landover, Md.). 

Two U.S. boxers will take the ring in Saturday's action as Cartagena faces Spain's Jose Kelvin De La Nieve Linares and bantamweight Jesus Magadaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.) battles Germany's Denis Makarov. Both U.S. bouts will be contested in the early session at 11:30 a.m. Milan time (5:30 a.m. EST). 

For the most up-to-date results and information as well as full draw sheets for all 11 weight divisions, go to http://www.worldboxingmilano.org/page.aspx?id=307&idp=109.

Friday's U.S. Results
141 lbs: Frankie Gomez, Broadway, Calif./USA dec. Levan Gvamichava, GEO, 16-6 

Saturday's U.S. Schedule
106 lbs: Miguel Cartagena, Philadelphia, Pa./USA vs Jose Kelvin de la Nieve Linares, ESP (early session)
119 lbs: Jesus Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev./USA vs. Denis Makarov, GER (early session)

U.S. Quotes

Miguel Cartagena:  "I am proud to be on the National Team and how we are growing as a team; this is one of the best teams that I have ever been a part of. Going into my first bout, I was anxious and nervous, and I had to prove to myself that I deserve to be here and I had to win.  We are making progress by working on the little things that add up and will eventually lead to success."

Kevin Rivers:  "I am honored and very proud to represent the U.S. and feel that it is a big step toward bigger things. I was mentally and physically prepared to win. Hard work pays off."
 

USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States' member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is responsible for the selection and management of the United States Olympic Boxing Team, and for the governance and oversight of USA Boxing's national organization of 38,000 members, 1,400 individual boxing clubs, and 1,600 sanctioned events annually.