Five More USA Boxers Advance to Semifinals In Pueblo
by Luke Santangelo
Team USA sends five boxers to the semifinals after Thursday’s quarterfinal round of the 2024 USA Boxing International Invitational.
In session one, two qualified Olympians, Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas) and Morelle McCanne (Cleveland, Ohio) took care of business and punched their way to the semifinals. Lozano and McCane were both down after the first round but dug deep in the second and third rounds to come out on top via split decisions.
Team USA had four boxers compete in the evening session and secured an impressive three wins. Kayla Gomez (El Paso, Texas) had one of the most dominate performances in the 2024 USA Boxing International Invitational so far, as she gave Melissa Mortensen from Denmark two 8-counts in the first round and another in the second, which led to the referee calling the bout early. Gomez won the bout versus Mortensen via RSC in the second round.
Following Gomez, Lisa Greer (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, N.C.), both took down qualified Olympians, as Greer defeated Tyla McDonald out of Australia and Graham defeated Chantelle Reid out of Great Britain.
Team USA will have 13 boxers competing in the semifinals on Friday. The team is being led by National Head Coach, Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Joining Walsh on the coaching staff are National Resident Coach, Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), National Development Coach, Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and High Performance Coaches, Candice Vascocu (Bullard, Texas), Danilo Garcia (Oakland, Calif.) and Debra Lagares (Rochester, N.Y.).
Day 3 Results
50 kg: Savannah Stubley GBR dec. over Lexus Ramirez, Hanford, Calif./ USA, 5-0
50 kg: Jennifer Lozano, Laredo, Texas/ USA dec. over Demie-Jade Resztan GBR, 4-1
57 kg: Elise Glynn GBR dec. over Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/ USA , 4-1
66 kg: Emilie Sonvico FRA dec. over Stacia Suttles, Philadelphia, Pa./ USA, 3-2
66 kg: Morelle McCane, Cleveland, Ohio/ USA dec. over Liu Yang CHN, 4-1
54 kg: Charley Davison GBR dec. over Yoseline Perez, Houston, Texas/ USA, 5-0
54 kg: Kayla Gomez, El Paso, Texas/ USA dec. over Melissa Mortensen DEN, RSC-2
60 kg: Lisa Greer, Fort Collins, Colo./ USA dec. over Tyla McDonald AUS, 3-2
75 kg: Naomi Graham, Fayetteville, N.C./USA dec. over Chantelle Reid GBR, 5-0
Day 3 Schedule
50 kg: Jennifer Lozano, Laredo, Texas/ USA vs. Yu Wu, CHN
51 kg: Terry Washington, San Bernardino, Calif./USA vs. Jye Dixon, AUS
63.5: Dedrick Crocklem Tacoma, Wash./ USA vs. Jaggar Altoft, AUS
66 kg: Morelle McCane, Cleveland, Ohio/ USA vs. Imen Khelif, ALG
80 kg: Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, vs. Wanderley Pereira, BRA
80 kg: Amir Anderson, Syracuse, N.Y./USA vs. Taylor Bevan, GBR
92 +kg: Steven Williams, Chester, Pa./USA, vs. Teremoana Teremoana, AUS
54 kg: Kayla Gomez, El Paso, Texas/ USA vs. Scarlett Delgado, CAN
57 kg: Francis Stewart, Cleveland, Ohio/ USA vs. Owain Harris, GBR
60 kg: Lisa Greer, Fort Collins, Colo./ USA vs. Gemma Richardson, GBR
71 kg: Keon Davis, Norfolk, Va./USA vs. Lewis Richardson, GBR
75 kg: Naomi Graham, Fayetteville, N.C./USA vs. Tammara Thibeault, CAN
92 kg: Jamar Talley, Camden, N.J./USA vs. Ikenna Enyi, AUS