With Olympic trials only eight months away, the Pan Am Box-offs provided an early look at the boxers who will be competing for a 2008 Olympic Games berth. The winners from Sunday’s action will take part in a preparatory training camp at the Olympic Training through January 31 before departing for Caracas, Venezuela and the first Pan American Games international qualifier.

A light flyweight final between two familiar foes opened competition with 2006 National Champion Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) and Roberto Ceron (Doraville, Ga.) battling in the first bout. The two faced off in close contests in final action at both the National Golden Gloves and U.S. Championships and the third story told a similar tale. In a slow-paced first round, Yanez took a slim 2-0 lead but Ceron took a 3-2 lead at the midway point. The pace picked up over the final two stanzas with Yanez pulling back in front after three rounds. He took a two-point advantage into the final round, but the fourth round was an all-out war with Ceron pulling the bout to a 9-9 tie. Yet Yanez refused to relinquish his lead, scoring the final four points of the bout to win a 13-9 decision.

In bantamweight action, Victor Valenzuela (Passaic, N.J.) and Roberto Marroquin (Dallas, Texas) battled in a National PAL semifinal round rematch. Marroquin controlled the contest through the early going, holding Valenzuela to one point in the first three rounds. He took a 10-1 lead into the final round of boxing and withstood an attempted Valenzuela comeback in the fourth round to win a 16-5 decision.

Featherweights Rico Ramos (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Luis Del Valle (Newburgh, N.Y.) faced off in the third bout of the afternoon. After a close first round, Ramos turned up the heat in the second round, scoring ten points to take a 15-5 lead at the midway point. The points continued to flow for Ramos in the third and he took the ring for the fourth round with a commanding 21-5 advantage. He moved out to a 30-7 final decision to win the featherweight division.

The lightweight bout showcased a rematch from the 2006 National PAL Championships final round bout between Terence Crawford (Omaha, Neb.) and Diego Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.). After a close first round, Crawford began to pull away in the second round, taking an 11-6 advantage after two. He poured on the points in the third, racking up a 20-8 lead as the final round began. Magdaleno couldn’t make up the deficit in the fourth and Crawford won a 24-13 final decision.

In another rematch, light welterweights Karl Dargan (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Hector Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) faced off in a U.S. Championships final round sequel. Dargan took a commanding 7-1 lead after the first round, but Ramos flew back to within one point after two rounds before grabbing a 9-8 lead as the final round began. Dargan took the lead back in the final round, but after he had a second point taken in the fourth, the score was tied up. The bout went into the final minute with the result in doubt, but Dargan took the lead for good, winning a 15-13 decision to win his second straight Pan American Games berth.

Welterweight Demetrius Andrade (Providence, R.I.) returned to form in his bout with Peter Haro (Inglewood, Calif.). Andrade controlled the bout from start to finish, grabbing a 17-7 lead after two rounds. He nearly doubled his point output over the final two stanzas, winning a convincing 32-11 decision to take the welterweight crown.

Two Shawns battled it out in an action-packed middleweight championship bout as Shawn Porter (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) and Shawn Estrada (San Bernadino, Calif.) faced off. Porter moved out to an early lead, holding Estrada scoreless in the first before taking a 10-4 lead after two rounds. Estrada pulled the bout to within three in the third round but couldn’t overcome a referee’s warning in the final round. Porter won a hard-fought 17-13 decision to take the middleweight championship.

The lone hometown boxer boxed in the light heavyweight division championship match-up. Fort Carson’s own Christopher Downs took on Yathomas Riley (San Diego, Calif.) in the eighth bout of the competition. The two have met two times prior and the third meeting ended with the same result. Downs held a slim lead throughout the bout, adding a point to his advantage through the first three rounds to take an 11-5 lead into the final stanza. Riley couldn’t penetrate the deficit and Downs took the title with a 13-8 final decision.

In the final bout of the event, heavyweight Adam Willett (Bellport, N.Y.) faced off with David Carey (Anchorage, Alaska). Willett methodically built his lead over the first three rounds of the bout, slowly building an 11-3 lead after the third round. Carey looked to comeback in the final round but fell short and Willett won the 15-7 final decision.

Due to illnesses to flyweight Qa’id Muhammad (Ventnor City, N.J.) and Jonte Willis (Tacoma, Wash.), flyweight Shawn Nichol (Lakewood, Colo.) and super heavyweight Mike Wilson (Central Point, Ore.) won by walkover.

Championship Results

106 lbs/48 kg:
Luis Yanez, Duncanville, Texas, dec. Roberto Ceron, Doraville, Ga., 13-9
112 lbs/51 kg:
Shawn Nichol, Lakewood, Colo., won on walkover over Qa'id Muhammad, Ventnor City, N.J., W/O)
119 lbs/54 kg:
Roberto Marroquin, Dallas, Texas dec. Victor Valenzuela, Passaic, N.J., 16-5
125 lbs/57 kg:
Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Luis Del Valle, Newburgh, N.Y., 30-7
132 lbs/60 kg:
Terence Crawford, Omaha, Neb., dec. Diego Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev., 24-13
141 lbs/64 kg:
Karl Dargan, Philadelphia, Pa., dec. Hector Ramos, San Antonio, Texas, 15-13
152 lbs/69 kg:
Demetrius Andrade, Providence, R.I., dec. Peter Haro, Inglewood, Calif., 32-11
165 lbs/75 kg:
Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio dec. Shawn Estrada, San Bernadino, Calif., 17-13
178 lbs/81 kg:
Christopher Downs, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Yathomas Riley, San Diego, Calif., 13-8
201 lbs/91 kg:
Adam Willett, Bellport, N.Y., dec. David Carey, Anchorage, Alaska, 15-7
201+ lbs/91+ kg:
Mike Wilson, Central Point, Ore., won on walkover over Jonte Willis, Tacoma, Wash., W/O