Long road to the 2015 Jr. Olympic National Championships

Ultra modern, the Charlestown West Virginia Civic Center is quite the place.

You’ve got to admit, it’s been a long haul. From winning your District title, then the Regional title, it’s now time to win the whole ball of wax in the 2015 Junior Olympic National Tournament.

With their on-site registrations Sunday, June 7, 2015 in Charlestown, West Virginia, the coaches and close to 600 athletes who have been preparing to compete in this year’s tournament, have to be getting anxious or is antsy more appropriate.

Imagine if you could get some last minute advice from a former world champion like Antonio DeMarco. DeMarco stopped at the Medina family gym, the Bound Boxing Academy on Wednesday, June 3, for some sparring with Maurice “Mighty Moe” Hooker. That’s when Andrea Medina (r) took advantage of the photo op.

With the 44th edition of the grand tournament just a few days away, our local representatives, not unlike their opponents are still working on any last minute hiccups which would prevent them from being in one of the 24 final round bouts on Saturday, June 13th.

That’s when 13 male and 11 female championship bouts will decide the champions at the Charleston Civic Center. All of these final round bouts, with the youngsters being between 15 and 16-years of age, are for the highly coveted Junior Olympic National Championship.

The 10 combatants representing our area include:

Females:

Jessica “Kika” Juarez, trained by her father Ramon Diaz of San Diego, Calif., has four young ladies competing in her weight class of 119 pounds. Juarez, now 15, has come a long way from her first bout back on August 1, 2010 when she was only 10 years old and weighed just 67 pounds.

Excited about her come from behind victory over Jessica Juarez (r) on day one of the Boxers for Christ National Tournament, Stephanie Valdez jumps for joy as the judges’ scores were announced. Juarez has won a lot of matches but not this one.

Early on, it was Jasmine Hernandez (black trunks) in control of the fight. That was until Jasmine Mosqueda began to find her rhythm and counter. Photo: J. Wyatt

from the Community Youth Athletic Center, National City, Calif., will be competing against five young ladies in the 125 pound weight class.

Andrea Medina from the Bound Boxing Academy, Chula Vista, Calif. has four young ladies competing against her in the 132 pound weight class. In the photo below we see Andrea Medina with her dedicated coaching staff which includes her father Juan Medina Jr. (r) and good friend Edgar Sandoval (l). 

(photo, below) Citalli Ortiz of the Lee Espinoza Coachella Valley Boxing Club, Coachella, Calif. will be going up against Kathryn Bateman, Pittsburgh, Penna. in the 165 pound weight class.

Ctalli Ortiz won her last match by default.

Males:

Jabin Chollet of the National City CYAC, National City, Calif. is just one of the 11 young boxers competing in the 95 pound Intermediate 13-14-year-old division.

Jabin Chollet (r) with his coach and confidant Jessie Tanner.

Alfred Vargas of National City, Calif. will be in a group of 10 boxers in the 101 pound, 13-14 year-old Intermediate division.

In the junior 15-16 year-old grouping, you have 15 year-old Anthony Clark from the San Luis PAL, San Luis, Arizona going up against 11 boxers in the 101 pound weight class. This past Saturday, Clark competed in a local LBC 44 boxing show promoted by Baja Boxing in Calexico, Calif. Clark won a decisive victory over Roberto Tapia of Mexicali.

(bottom, left) On Saturday in Calexico, Calif., it was Anthony Clark (l) coming away with the victory over Roberto Tapia of Mexicali, B. C., Mexico.

In the junior 15-16 year-old grouping, Santos Ortega of Coachella will be competing against 11 boxers in the 106 pound weight class.

Anthony Reyes of Coachella will be competing against 12 boxers in the 114 pound weight class.

In the junior 15-16 year old grouping, Oscar Guerrero of Coachella will be competing against 10 boxers in the 119 pound weight class.