A flyweight final between two former national champions opened the championship round action as 2005 National Golden Gloves champion Barry Dennis (St. Louis, Mo.) and 2005 National Champion Marco Rangel (Scottsdale, Ariz.) faced off. The bout was close through all four minutes of the contest with the score tied at the end of each of the three rounds. The two went in to the final round of action locked at seven, but Rangel managed to pull ahead by one point and win the 9-8 final decision. Rangel’s victory earned him the 2007 Midwestern Trials title as well as a flyweight berth in the U.S. Championships.

Hometown favorite Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) took the ring to raucous cheers from his family, friends and fans as he took the ring for his bantamweight championship bout with Victor Valenzuela (Passaic, N.J.). Warren fed off his hometown support, moving out to a 9-2 lead after the first round. He continued to press the action in the second round, building a nine-point lead at the midway point. The tempo picked up even further in the third stanza with Warren giving Valenzuela a standing eight count on his way to a 27-7 lead and a mandatory stoppage at the 1:45 mark of the third round.

A second hometown boxer took the ring for the featherweight title bout as Jesse Carradine (Cincinnati, Ohio) faced off with 2006 U.S. Championships silver medallist Luis Ramos, Jr. (Santa Ana, Calif.). The bout was close through the first round, but Ramos took control in the second, and enjoyed a 14-3 lead at the midway point. He continued to control the contest through the final two rounds, keeping Carradine’s point total down while building his own. Ramos’ efforts earned him a 25-9 victory and a berth in the 2007 U.S. Championships.

The lightweight championship contest showcased a match-up between 2004 Olympic Team Trials participant Miguel Gonzalez (Cleveland, Ohio) and 2006 Junior Olympic silver medallist Gary Russell III (Capitol Heights, Md.). Russell took control from the start of the bout, pouring on the early points to take an 11-4 advantage after the first round. He doubled his point total over the next two rounds to take a commanding 24-12 lead into the final round. Gonzalez pressed the action looking to make up his double-digit deficit, but fell short and Russell won a 27-15 final decision to take the lightweight title.

Two-time National Champion Jeremy Bryan (Clifton, N.J.) traveled to Cincinnati looking to add another national title to his resume, and he accomplished his mission. Bryan faced off with Michael Brooks (Oceanside, N.Y.) in the light welterweight championship bout, and held him to three points in the four round bout. Bryan nearly tripled his point total in the second round, taking an 11-1 lead at the halfway point of the bout. The trend continued over the final two rounds and Bryan recorded a 23-3 victory to take the light welterweight crown.

A second hometown boxer grabbed a national title in the welterweight division as 2006 Under 19 National Champion William Jackson (Cincinnati, Ohio) won a 26-14 decision over 2006 U.S. Championships bronze medallist Ray Rivera, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.). Jackson grabbed early control of the bout and never relinquished it, taking a 12-3 advantage at the midway point of the contest. He took a 14-point lead into the fourth round and withstood a Rivera charge to win a 26-14 final decision and the welterweight championship.

The middleweight division boasted an action-packed bout between Fernando Guerrero (Salisbury, Md.) and 2006 Under 19 National Champion Shawn Porter (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio). Once again, Guerrero took the early lead and held on for four rounds of boxing. Guerrero enjoyed a six-point lead at the end of three rounds, setting up an exciting final round of action. Yet Guerrero only built on his lead through the final two minutes and he went on to win a 29-19 final decision and the middleweight title.

In light heavyweight action, Angel Concepcion (E. Orange, N.J.) faced off with Lionell Thompson (Buffalo, N.Y.). The two bout stayed close through the first two rounds, and went into the second half of the bout tied at three. Concepcion snagged the lead in the third round and never looked back. He enjoyed a 7-4 advantage at the end of three rounds and held the same three-point lead as the final bell rang to win an 11-8 final decision. Concepcion wins the light heavyweight crown as well as a berth in the 2007 U.S. Championships.

Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonvile, Mich.) and Andres Taylor (Johnstown, Pa.) battled in the 2007 Midwestern Trials heavyweight championship bout. The two boxed to a 2-2 at the end of the first round, but Shimmell took a 10-5 lead into the final round of action. He added one more point in the fourth round to win a 13-7 decision and the heavyweight championship.

2006 National Golden Gloves champion Felix Stewart (Columbus, Ohio) closed the event with a super heavyweight championship match-up with Abodurin Akinyanju (Washington DC). The two engaged in a slugfest throughout the bout with Stewart taking a 10-7 lead after two rounds of boxing. Stewart kept up the pressure in the third stanza, giving Akinyanju a standing eight count to take an 18-11 lead after three rounds. He went on to take a 21-18 final victory as well as the super heavyweight title.

Jerail Singleton (St. Louis, Mo.) won the light flyweight championship on walkover.

The champions will now prepare for the 2007 U.S. Championships, which will be contested June 2-8, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The top eight finishers from the U.S. Championships will advance to the Olympic Team Trials.

Championship Bout Results
106 lbs/48 kg: Jerail Singleton, St. Louis, Mo., won on walkover over Terail Singleton, St. Louis, Mo., W/O
112 lbs/51 kg: Marco Rangel, Scottsdale, Ariz., dec. Barry Dennis, St. Louis, Mo., 9-8
119 lbs/54 kg: Rau'shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio, stopped Victor Valenzuela, Passaic, N.J., RSCO-3 (1:45)
125 lbs/57 kg: Luis Ramos, Jr., Santa Ana, Calif., dec. Jesse Carradine, Cincinnati, Ohio, 25-9
132 lbs/60 kg: Gary Russell III, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Miguel Gonzalez, Cleveland, Ohio, 27-15
141 lbs/64 kg: Jeremy Bryan, Clifton, N.J., dec. Michael Brooks, Oceanside, N.Y., 23-3
152 lbs/69 kg: William Jackson, Cincinnati, Ohio, dec. Ray Rivera, Jr., Kansas City, Mo., 26-14
165 lbs/75 kg: Fernando Guerrero, Salisbury, Md., dec. Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 29-19
178 lbs/81 kg: Angel Concepcion, E. Orange, N.J., dec. Lionell Thompson, Buffalo, N.Y., 29-19
201 lbs/91 kg: Jordan Shimmell, Hudsonville, Mich., dec. Andres Taylor, Johnstown, Pa., 13-7
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Felix Stewart, Columbus, Ohio, dec. Abodurin Akinyanju, Washington DC, 21-18