Avenal's Ramirez, Team USA Head to Brazil for Final Olympic Qualifier

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

 Avenal's Ramirez takes the final step toward punching his trip to London. (Team Ramirez)

After three and a half years of struggle, sacrifice, and success, the U.S. Men’s National Team heads to the Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the AIBA Americas Continental Olympic Qualifier from May 4-13.  A high enough finish in the tournament will lead to ultimate entry into the London Games.

A total of 38 Olympic berths will be spread across ten weight classes.  Nations from North, Central, and South America will compete for them.  Out of the 10 members in Team USA, three have already qualified by reaching the quarterfinals of last year’s AIBA World Championships (flyweight Rau’shee Warren, bantamweight Joseph Diaz Jr., and welterweight Errol Spence Jr.).

RELATED: Boxing Barista Jose Ramirez is America's Best Lightweight

Region 11's Jose Ramirez (King's Gym, Avenal) is America's lightweight representative.

“He's been working hard for this all his life, and now it's time for him to make that final step," said Ramirez' coach, Armando Mancinas.  "I have no doubt that he's ready for whatever challenges arise in Brazil."

Per USA Boxing’s Julie Goldsticker, here is the current qualification status for each member of the team:

LIGHT FLYWEIGHT/108 LBS.:
Santos Vazquez (Sparks, NV) – Needs Top 3 Finish

FLYWEIGHT/114 LBS.:
Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, OH) – Already Qualified Through 2011 World Championships

BANTAMWEIGHT/123 LBS.:
Joseph Diaz Jr. (S. El Monte, CA) – Already Qualified Through 2011 World Championships

LIGHTWEIGHT/132 LBS.:

Jose Ramirez (Avenal, CA) – Needs Top 4 Finish

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT/141 LBS.:
Jamel Herring (Coram, NY) – Needs Top 5 Finish

WELTERWEIGHT/152 LBS.:
Errol Spence Jr. (DeSoto, TX) – Already Qualified Through 2011 World Championships

MIDDLEWEIGHT/165 LBS.:
Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, OH) – Needs Top 5 Finish

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT/178 LBS.:
Marcus Browne (Staten Island, NY) – Needs Top 4 Finish

HEAVYWEIGHT/201 LBS.:
Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, NV) – Needs Top 3 Finish

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT/201+ LBS.:
Dominic Breazeale (Alhambra, CA) – Needs Top 3 Finish

Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at norcalboxing.net or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=52348#ixzz1tUbgAozD

Angel Cordon, Ruben Villa Victorious in Local Junior Olympic Finals

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Angel Cordon (right) gets his hands wrapped by trainer Karl Sharrock. (Blanca Gutierrez)

Both Northern and Central California crowned the last of their Junior Olympic champions for the Junior and Senior Open Division on Saturday.

Angel Cordon (Old School BC, Concord) won a decision over Jonathan Rubio (Santa Rosa, Double Punches) to capture the NorCal 80-pound Junior final at West Sacramento's Superior Fighting Academy in a card titled "Steady Mobbin' 3."

"These two little warriors opened up the show and didn't disappoint," Old School's Karl Sharrock said after the bout.  "I thought Angel sealed the deal with a strong, dominating third round."

In Orosi, Ruben "Dracula" Villa (Backyard BC, Salinas) added yet another gold medal to his burgeoning trophy case with a decision over Isidro Ochoa (Fresno PAL) in the CenCal 114-pound Senior final at El Monte Middle School.

The precocious Villa, who has won seven national tournaments, will advance to the J.O. Regional Championships in Arvin on May 12.  He faces Alex Garibay (CYC, Concord) for the right to represent Region 11 in the National Junior Olympics, which take place from June 18-22 in Mobile, Alabama.

RELATED CONTENT:

For the full list of Northern California J.O. champs from Bantam Novice all the way to Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

For the full list of Central California J.O. champs from Bantam Novice all the way to Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

For the NorCal vs. CenCal bout sheet for the May 12 Region 11 J.O. finals in Arvin, CLICK HERE.

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

Dawson Defeats Hopkins, Calls Out Andre Ward

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Dawson (right) wants Ward next. (Getty Images)

Moments after decisively outpointing Bernard Hopkins by majority decision for the Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight titles, Chad Dawson called out Oakland's Andre Ward to fight him next.

Ward, who incidentally enough owns the super middleweight version of both belts (and the WBA one as well), was the subject of an avalanche of messages on social media.  "S.O.G." was quick to respond:

With the lack of appetizing options at 168 pounds, hopefully the fans can see this matchup come to fruition between two of America's best, whether at 175 or a catchweight between them.

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/chad-dawson-calls-out-andre-ward-sog-responds--52310

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

Mitchell Stops Hayward-Based Witherspoon in Three

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Witherspoon met an unfortunate end on Saturday after taking an early lead. (AP)

Heavyweight contender Chazz Witherspoon, who was training in Hayward with reigning BWAA and CSNBayArea.com Trainer of the Year Virgil Hunter, was stopped in the third round Saturday night by Seth Mitchell in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

Cal's NFL Draftees in Relation to Recruiting Ranking

By Ryan Maquiñana

Maqdown.com

Schwartz went to Cleveland in round two. (NFL.com)

As a Cal alum (and a longtime diehard season ticket holder at that), I thought it was worth taking a break from the boxing coverage for a brief moment to look at Cal's six NFL draftees--a number which led the Pac-12--and where they stood coming out of high school with recruiting services like Rivals.com and Scout.com:

MITCHELL SCHWARTZ - Browns (2nd Rd., 37th overall)

RIVALS: 3 stars, #27 OT

SCOUT: 3 stars, #24 OG

MYCHAL KENDRICKS - Eagles (2nd Rd., 46th overall)

RIVALS: 3 stars, #45 OLB

SCOUT: 3 stars, #29 WLB

Insider: NorCal Boxing News & Notes

• Which local fighter is challenging for two world titles on May 16?

• Where can I get tickets for Vicente Escobedo's May 12 fight in Woodland?

• Which amateur from the area just signed with Top Rank?

• Who's representing the Bay in the Junior Olympic Regionals two weeks from now?

Click the picture above for those answers and more in my weekend roundup for CSNBayArea.com!

NorCal Pound-for-Pound Top 10: April Edition

The 14 members of our local media voting panel have spoken.  Here's the official list of Northern California's Top 10 fighters for April:

Did your favorite fighter make the cut? (CSNBayArea.com)

For the whole story that includes all the stats, news, and breakdown of every fighter in the Top 10, click HERE or on the picture.

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

Flu Knocks Out Ayala Before Saturday Rematch with Salazar

By Ryan Maquiñana 
Norcalboxing.net

The local fans will have to wait a little longer to see Ayala (left) and Salazar in the ring together. (Team Ayala/Team Salazar)

Rising amateur bantamweight Mario Ayala of Sacramento is ill and has unfortunately pulled out of his Saturday afternoon rematch with Fresno's Gary Salazar.

"Mario woke up with a flu," said Ayala's trainer, Marty Chima of Dogg Pound Boxing.  "I'm going to have to pull him out of the fight."

The nationally recognized 123-pounders were set to meet in "Steady Mobbin' Three," a card that will still take place at Superior Fighting Academy in West Sacramento starting at 1 p.m.   

Ticket Information for Escobedo vs. Ruiz May 12 in Woodland

By Ryan Maquiñana 
Norcalboxing.net 

Here is the poster for the May 12 card in Woodland that will feature hometown hero Vicente Escobedo against Juan Ruiz for the NABO junior lightweight regional title. 

Don Chargin and Paco Presents in association with Golden Boy and Jorge Marron will promote the show, which takes place at the Woodland Community Center.

In the co-feature, former Venezuelan Olympian turned junior middleweight pro prospect Alfonso Blanco (8-0, 3 KOs) will fight an unnamed opponent.

Also on the docket, Chico junior welterweight Moris Rodriguez (2-0-1, 1 KO) meets Vacaville's Bret De La Torre (2-0), Richmond junior welterweight Ulises Soriano (2-0) fights Hillsboro, Oregon's Gabriel Pineda (1-0), and Fresno's Luis Villagomez makes his pro debut against San Francisco's Denis Madriz (0-0-1).

The weigh-in is free to the public and will take place on Friday, May 11, at the Road Trip Bar and Grill.  Presale ticket prices are $45, $60, and $80 and can be purchased at PacoPresentsBoxing.com.  All three prices will increase by $10 at the door.  First fight goes down at 6 p.m.

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

Amateur Beat: Salazar vs. Ayala II in W. Sacramento, Dracula vs. Ochoa in Orosi

By Ryan Maquiñana

Norcalboxing.net

Ayala (right) and trainer Marty Chima are out for revenge on Saturday. (Dogg Pound BC)

NOTE: The University of San Francisco has moved their Spring Fest show to June 9.  Thanks to Lydia Martinez Razo and Candelario Lopez for keeping Norcalboxing.net posted!

Fresh off last week's Junior Olympic qualifiers, the region will hold a pair of amateur shows this Saturday.

First, “Steady Mobbin’ Round Three” will take place at Superior Fighting Academy in West Sacramento at 1 p.m.  Nationally recognized 123-pounders Gary Salazar of Fresno and Mario Ayala of Sacramento will duke it out in a rematch.  Salazar outpointed Ayala in their first meeting two weeks ago at Fresno's Velarde Training Center.

In the Central California region, a USA Boxing-sanctioned event will occur at El Monte Middle School in Orosi at 4 p.m.  Among the matchups on the docket is a 114-pound Regional Junior Olympics qualifier between Fresno's Isidro Ochoa and Salinas' Ruben "Dracula" Villa.

For a full schedule of pro and amateur boxing events in the region, click HERE or the link on the upper-right hand side of the page. 

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

Kentikian-McMorrow for Unified Flyweight Title May 16 in Germany

By Ryan Maquiñana 

Norcalboxing.net

McMorrow (left) and Kentikian meet on May 16. (Team McMorrow, WBAN)

Unified women’s flyweight world champion Susi Kentikian will put her titles on the line against San Jose’s Melissa McMorrow on May 16 at Brandenburg Hall in Frankfurt, Germany.

“We learned a lot from her last fight against Arely Mucino in terms of traveling into a foreign country, and taking the title from the champion,” said McMorrow’s trainer Eddie Croft, himself a former three-time world title challenger.  “She is ready to go into hostile territory and win again.  Only this time she will leave no doubt.”

Kentikian (29-0, 16 KOs) currently holds the WBA and WBO belts in addition to the WIBF 112-pound crown.  Although the resident of Hamburg, Germany, via Yerevan, Armenia, is only 24 years old, this bout will mark her 15^th world title defense of any sort.  A brilliant combination puncher, “The Killer Queen” is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over Thailand’s Teeraporn Pannimit last October.

Bout Sheet for 2012 Junior Olympic Region 11 Championships

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

On May 12, Arvin will play host to the 2012 Junior Olympic Region 11 Championships at Haven Drive Middle School, where Northern California's best young fighters will meet their Central California rivals.

While both the Intermediate and Senior Open Divisions will crown regional champions, only the latter will advance to the National Junior Olympics, which take place in Mobile, Alabama, from June 18-22.

Here is a tentative bout sheet featuring each age division and weight class.