Maqdown.com
San Jose’s Andy Vences could not recover from an early deficit to Toka Kahn Clary of Providence, R.I., falling 24-16 in Friday night’s lightweight semifinals of the National PAL in Toledo, Ohio, earning a bronze medal in the process.
“He got his timing down good,” Vences admitted. “He was a southpaw and he stayed on the inside.”
Vences could not control the tempo, and it ended up becoming his undoing after winning his first two bouts in the tournament.
“[Clary] was catching me during moments where I would throw and when my guard was open, he caught me between my gloves,” Vences shared. “He’s very technical.”
The score was 8-3 in favor of Clary after one round, and 18-9 heading into the third and final frame, when Vences finally mustered some offense. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
“In the third round, I gave him a hard time with more pressure, but I should’ve been doing that from the beginning,” Vences lamented. “Once he realized he was up, he was playing keep-away.”
2011 has allowed Vences to stuff his trophy case, with gold medals in the California Golden Gloves and the National Adidas Tournament in the light welterweight division.
Now adding a bronze medal from the National PAL, Vences will now hope to qualify for next year’s Olympics by winning the USA Boxing National Championships in the spring at his new division of 132 pounds.
“I feel strong at 132,” Vences said. “Finishing with the bronze, it’s been a big year. I’m looking forward to Nationals next year and hopefully still get that Olympic spot.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s middleweight division, San Francisco’s Raquel Miller lost in the semifinals, but when her conqueror, Andrecia Wasson of Centerline, Mich., won gold, it was reason to celebrate.
Wasson’s win yielded a third-place finish for Miller and allowed her to qualify for next spring’s Olympic Trials.
“I’m really proud of her,” Miller’s coach, Ben Bautista of SFC Boxing said. “Her hard work and dedication paid off in the gym. Now we have to focus on making the Olympics.”
Stay tuned later this week for a feature on Miller’s momentous achievement.
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