USA Boxing Team Stacked for Pan American Games

Press Release from USA Boxing:

Team USA Qualifies an Additional Five Boxers for the 2015 Pan American Games(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – USA Boxing’s team is set for the 2015 Pan American Games following a five medal performance from the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games qualifying event in Tijuana, Mexico. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.), Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and 2015 national champion Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.) all won gold at the international event. Reigning national champions Luis Feliciano (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Melik Elliston (Denver, Colo.) won silver and bronze respectively in their qualifying efforts in Mexico.

Flyweights Esparza and Vargas closed the show in the same manner they started it on Monday in Tijuana. Esparza took a unanimous decision over Pan American Games host nation boxer Mandy Bujold of Canada in her championship bout and Vargas won his gold medal with 3-0 over Colombia’s Ceiber David Avila.

Shields returned to the top of the medal stand with another unanimous decision victory in her middleweight championship bout. The 20-year-old Olympic champion will head in to our first Pan American Games fresh off a 3-0 win over the Dominican Republic’s Yenebier Guillen.

Feliciano fell by a 3-0 decision to Brazil’s Joedison de Jesus in their light welterweight division to take a silver medal in the Pan American Qualifying Event.

Elliston qualified for the Pan American Games with a bronze medal finish in his light flyweight division. The five qualified boxers from the tournament in Mexico will join bantamweight Francisco Martinez (Dallas, Texas), lightweight Carlos Balderas (Santa Maria, Calif.), welterweight Brian Ceballo (Brooklyn, N.Y.), middleweight Anthony Campbell (Covington, Tenn.), light heavyweight Steven Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and super heavyweight Cam F. Awesome (Lenexa, Kansas) at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. The 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 with boxing competition running from July 18-25 at General Motors Centre.

2000 Olympic Coach Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.), Ed Weichers (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Joe Guzman (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Bonnie Canino (Dania Beach, Fla.) led the United States team in Tijuana.

U.S. Championship Round Results

112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA dec. Mandy Bujold, CAN, 3-0

114 lbs/male: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla./USA dec. Ceiber David Avila, COL, 3-0

141 lbs/male: Joedison de Jesus, BRA, dec. Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis./USA, 3-0

165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Yenebier Guillen, DOM, 3-0