Photos: Scott Foster

Tuesday evening served as an opportunity for redemption for those who lost in yesterday’s opening bouts of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. The winners kept their Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 hopes alive while the losers were eliminated from the tournament. Tuesday’s victors will face the losers of Wednesday’s bouts.

Here’s who performed well enough to advance.

Melody Popravak (Brooklyn, N.Y.) found her footing and secured a close win against Rachael Washington (New York, N.Y.) in a 3-2 decision victory to advance in the women’s 165 lbs. Challenger’s bracket. Also moving on is Pasene Asuega (Wilmington, N.C.), who advanced via walkover.

“I had to have a lot of focus and rest,” Popravak said. “I knew it was going to be a battle. I feel good. I needed that warmup fight coming out here. Now that I got it under my belt, I have a better flow going.”

There was also a walkover in the men’s 165 lbs. division for Francis Hogan (Weymouth, Mass.). Antonio Garcia (Anaheim, Calif.) had to work to move on in the tournament as he defeated Alex Chrisholm (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.) by RSC. Chrisholm appeared to injure his back in the third round and attempted to fight through the pain but was deemed unable to continue.

Things got heated in the men’s super heavyweight division when Deandre Savage (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Pryce Taylor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) nearly toppled over the ropes when they got locked up in the middle of the third round. Taylor eventually won by unanimous decision. Also advancing is Dominic Okopie (Houston, Texas), who defeated Dacarree Scott (Decatur, Ga.), also by unanimous decision.

“To be honest, I don’t think anyone else is a challenge for me; besides the person I lost to,” Taylor said. “It’s gonna be an easy road, honestly. I have to make sure I feel warm everyday and get this ‘W’ and get to the finals.”

The streak of walkovers resumed in the women’s 132 lbs. division as Jennifer Lopez (Jersey City, N.J.) advanced to the next round of the Challenger’s bracket. Stacia Suttles (Bronx, N.Y.) secured a unanimous decision victory over Rebecca Maine (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to keep herself in the tournament.

Jasmine Hampton (Ann Arbor, Mich.) delivered a 4-1 decision victory over Stephanie Chavez to advance in the women’s 112 lbs. division Challenger’s bracket. Jazelle Bobadilla (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) followed suit as she secured a 3-2 win to stay afloat in the tournament.

“I knew I wasn’t fully out of the tournament,” Hampton said. “I just had to get my mind right and come back even stronger.”

In the men’s 178 lbs. division, both Francis Oran (Allentown, Pa.) and Nasheed Smith (Washington, D.C.) punched their way to another round in the tournament. Oran won by unanimous decision and Smith advanced in a tight 3-2 decision bout.

“I feel good,” Smith said. “Last night I didn’t fight my fight. It wasn’t really my night. I cut out a lot of things. I deleted social medial off my phone. Only people I really talked to was my family. I was just staying focused. I’m back in this tournament and I’m ready to go.”

Perhaps the evening’s most notable redemption came from the men’s 125 lbs. division as top-seeded Duke Ragan (Cincinnati, Ohio) impressed with a unanimous decision victory over Japhethlee Llamido (Norwalk, Calif.). In the same division, David Navarro secured a 4-1 victory over Xavian Ramirez to advance.

Brandon Moore (Lakeland, Fla.) impressed with a 4-1 win over men’s 201 lbs. top seed Adrian Tillman (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Devon Young (Aiken, S.C.) secured his position in the next round with a walkover as Cymone Kearney (Beaumont, Texas) chose to withdraw.

“I’m not satisfied,” Moore said. “I’ve been working for the past 18 months. Not satisfied. I lost a tough one, I got beat. I don’t make excuses but I’m gonna come back and get it back. I’m not losing no more. I have to come in and be the better boxer – the smarter boxer.”

Men’s 152 lbs. top seed Freudis Rojas Jr. (Las Vegas, Nev.) returned to form with a unanimous decision victory over Victor Aranda (El Paso, Texas). Joining him in the next round is Morris Young (Chesaning, Mich.), who advanced via walkover.

“The first day, I wasn’t myself,” Rojas Jr. said. “I let my nerves get control of me. Today, we went back to the hotel, sat down and focused. Now I’m back to the Freddy I used to be. I’m flying through the clouds right now. This is Olympic Trials. This one win is one step closer to being on the Olympic team.”

Jill Stafford (La Mesa, Calif.) squeaked out a 3-2 decision victory over Liz Flores (Woodland Hills, Calif.) to stay alive in the women’s 152 lbs. division. Eight seed Briana Che (Madison, Wisc.) upset four seed Arika Skoog (Boston, Mass.) to stay remain in the tournament with a 3-2 victory.

The men’s 138 lbs. division provided a dominant finish to the day as Ernesto Mercado defeated Marcell Davidson (Shawnee, Kan.) by unanimous decision and Daniel Garcia (Westminster, Colo.) advanced with a 4-1 decision win over Israel Rodriguez (Humble, Texas).

Two weight classes didn’t participate. In the men’s 114 lbs. division, Michael Angeletti (Spring, Texas) and Jose Nieves (Avenel, N.J.) advanced by walkover. The same was true for Melanie Costa (Norton, Mass.) and Isamary Aquino (Universal City, Texas) in the women’s 125 lbs. division.

Challenger’s bracket bouts resume Thursday at the Lake Charles Civic Center. The winner’s bracket resumes competition Wednesday.

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