The US Olympic Boxing Trials and National Championships took place in Cajun Country last week and it was a great week of boxing filled with thrilling matchups and incredible stories.
Let’s take a look at the nine boxers who are advancing from the Olympic Trials:
Jordan Fuentes
The story of Jordan Fuentes is the headline of the week after the Fresno product had a tough road to the top but was able to defy the odds and be crowned the champion of the 57 kg division. The confident young gun from northern California was on his game throughout the entire week. Going into Saturday, he had won his bouts on several unanimous decisions and even a 4-1 split decision. However, in the finals, Fuentes was matched up with a much tougher opponent in Steven Navarro, the two seed of the tournament. Fuentes came out of the gates firing with a 5-0 round one, but Navarro, who has fought internationally for Team USA before, closed the gap. However, that didn’t faze the talented Fuentes. “I had to switch up my style multiple times during this,” Fuentes said about his journey this week “The two seed I had to stay boxing, number three seed I had to put pressure, and today I had to mix it up.” Fuentes won the second round with a 3-2 score to win a close 3-2 split decision. Fuentes defeated the top three seeds in his class and will now advance to Team USA Selection Camp in January and become the alternate to Jahmal Harvey.
Lisa Greer
In the women’s 60 kg division, top seed Neida Ibarra looked to continue her run as she went against Lisa Greer. Greer, a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, jumped out to an early advantage, but Ibarra did all she could in the final round. However, it wasn’t enough as Greer’s early lead could not be overtaken, taking the 3-1 decision to advance to January’s Team USA Selection Camp and be the alternate for Jajaira Gonzalez, who qualified for next summer’s Olympic Games at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games.
Dedrick Crocklem
A rematch from earlier this year, Dedrick Crocklem (Tacoma, Wash.) and Vershaun Lee (Davenport, Iowa) certainly didn’t disappoint as the two fighters battled in South Louisiana. Lee took round one with a score of 4-1 after a strong start and looked determined to have a different outcome from the first bout. However, Crocklem dominated Lee in the second round, throwing punch after punch to keep Lee off of his game. After winning the second round 5-0, Crocklem kept the same intensity and wore down Lee, making it hard for him to respond. Crocklem again won the round 5-0 to secure a unanimous decision. Crocklem won all three of his bouts in Lafayette by a unanimous decision, leading him to the championship belt on Saturday. “This is a dream come true, and the opportunity just came to me,” Crocklem said following his fight with Lee. “I am right back to focus and ready to go back to camp and solidify my spot for real.” Crocklem will head to Selection Camp next month and looks to beat out Team USA High-Performance boxer Emilio Garcia (Laredo, Texas) for his chance to compete at next year’s Olympic qualifying tournaments.
Stephanie Simon
Stephanie Simon and Stacia Suttles met again in the women’s 66 kg division finals, setting up a rematch of last year’s National Championships finale. Suttles, looking to avenge the defeat from last year, grabbed the early 4-1 lead after the first round. However, Simon came back to dominate the final two rounds. The number one seed wore her opponent down to take nine of the ten scorecards, leading to her 4-1 victory. Simon will now head to January’s High-Performance Training Camp and serve as the alternate to Morelle McCane.
Keon Davis
Keon Davis and Carlos Flowers had one of the better fights of the day in the 71 kg division. Davis split the first two rounds with Davis winning 5-0 in round one and Flowers taking round two with the same 5-0 score. Davis had the height and length advantage over Flowers, and it paid off for him in the end, taking the title by an overall 4-1 decision. “Another step toward my goal of being a gold medalist,” Davis said after winning the Trials. Davis will now go against Omari Jones to determine who will represent Team USA at the World Qualifiers for next summer’s Games in Paris.
Christine Forkins
Christine Forkins controlled the women’s 75 kg championship bout over Talia Halvorsen on Saturday afternoon. After a unanimous decision, Forkins took home the belt and will now look to dual it out with Naomi Graham at the upcoming High-Performance Selection Camp. “As soon as I got in there, I knew I was going to win,” Forkins said. “It is an incredible feeling, and I am on top of the world right now.” Halvorsen, who is the youngest fighter in the tournament, had a great run to the finals.
Nathan Lugo
In an exciting championship match, two-seed Nathan Lugo faced off against the top seed of the 80 kg class Obed Bartee-El. The two powerful boxers produced an incredible fight. Lugo stuck with his mentality and game plan from the week, making it difficult for Bartee-El to bounce back after Lugo went up 5-0 after the opening round. Lugo didn’t let up as the fight went on and won the final two rounds to take the unanimous decision. He will head to Selection Camp in January to go head-to-head against Robby Gonzalez.
Malachi Georges
Malachi Georges became the 92 kg Olympic Trials Champion after unanimously defeating Danel Brown, a familiar opponent. These two fought in the 2023 National Golden Gloves, where Georges also won. Georges won yet again, saying his focus and mindset put him above the rest. “This is the cherry on top,” Georges said after the match “The hardest part is the training. Getting prepared is the hardest part. That is where I struggled. That is where the tears, blood, and not wanting to get up came from. I was excited about this; I almost couldn’t sleep. I was like a happy puppy and couldn’t wait to get in the ring.” Georges will battle Jamar Talley in Selection Camp this January for a place to compete at the World Qualifiers in March.
Ali Feliz
Ali Feliz and Steven Williams’ punches echo throughout the Cajundome as the two super heavyweights closed out the week. Feliz took round one, 5-0, using his speed and power to defeat Williams unanimously to advance to the Team USA Selection Camp to serve as the alternate to Joshua Edwards, who qualified for next summer’s Olympic Games at the Pan American Games.