Team USA Wins Five Bronze Medals; Advance Five to Finals of 2019 Pan American Games

LIMA, Peru: Team USA won five bronze medals yesterday and advanced five boxers to the championship bouts of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru after two semifinal sessions took place at the Coliseo Miguel Grau.

The Americans had a rough and challenging start to the first session of the semifinal bouts, with three heartbreaking loses for Delante Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio), Yarisel Ramirez (Las Vegas, Nev.) and team captain Richard Torrez Jr. (Tulare, Calif.). All three boxers left all they had in the ring, however, fell short in taking the judges cards to earn Team USA three bronze medals to start the day.

Welterweight Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) got the team back on track with a 4-1 decision over Dominican Republics M. Moronta Hernand to advance to the championship bout. This will be Jones second international final of 2019, and she is three-for-three medaling this year internationally.

2017 World Championships silver medalists Duke Ragan (Cincinnati, Ohio) got Team USA off to a great start in the second session of the day by taking all five judges’ cards over Uruguay to advance to the finals. Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk, Va.) kept the ball rolling for the Americans with his own unanimous decision victory over Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Alexander to advance.

2019 Pan American Games Qualifier Champions Troy Isley (Alexandria, Va.) and Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) could not repeat their successes from Nicaragua, with tough split decision losses in the second session to a duo from Brazil.

Team Captain and 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier Virginia Fuchs (Houston, Texas) got one step closer to another international title, grabbing another unanimous decision victory over I. Rojas Cardozo of Venezuela to box for gold in Friday’s second set of finals. Fuchs 2018 World Championships bronze medalist teammate, Naomi Graham (Colorado Springs, Colo.), closed out the day for Team USA with a 3-2 decision over Flavia Tereza Figueiredo of Brazil to be the fifth American to advance to the finals.

Semifinals Results:
51 kg: Virginia Fuchs, Houston, Texas/USA, dec. I. Rojas Cardozo/VEN, 5-0
56 kg: Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, Ohio/USA, dec. Lucas Alexander Fernandez/URU, 5-0
57 kg: Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu/BRA dec. over Yarisel Ramirez, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 5-0
60 kg: B. Ferreira Soares/BRA dec. over Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass./USA, 3-2
64 kg: Keyshawn Davis, Norfolk, Va./USA, dec. over Michael Alexander/TTO, 5-0
64 kg: Oshae Jones, Toledo, Ohio/USA, dec. over M. Moronta Hernand/DOM, 4-1
69 kg: Iglesias Sotolongo/CUB, dec. over Delante Johnnson, Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 4-1
75 kg: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. over Flavia Tereza Figueiredo/BRA, 3-2
75 kg: Herbert Carvalho Da Conceic/BRA dec. over Troy Isley, Alexandria, Va,/USA, 4-1
91+ kg: Justiz Pero/CUB, dec. over Richard Torrez Jr., Tulare, Calif./USA, 3-2

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Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.