Defending light flyweight champion Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) won his second straight U.S. Championships title with a 19-8 victory over Daniel Lozano (Bowling Green, Fla.). The first round ended on a 2-2 tie, but Yanez picked up the pace in the second. He took an 8-3 lead at the midway point of the bout and extended to a 15-7 advantage at the end of three. Yanez went on to take a 19-8 final decision to win his second straight light flyweight crown. “I went out there and had fun, and won my second national title,” Yanez said. “I am looking forward to the Pan Am Games next month, but the most important thing for me is qualifying for the Olympics.”

2007 Golden Gloves champion Ronny Rios (Santa Ana, Calif.) grabbed his second straight national championship in less than two months with a victory over David Clark (San Diego, Calif.) in their bantamweight title bout. Rios grabbed the early lead and built on it as each round wore on, landing clean, crisp punches to pad his advantage. His efforts earned Rios a 19-10 edge as the fourth round began. He continued to extend his lead over the final two minutes to win a 25-14 final decision. “I had seen him (Clark) box before, he was fast and I made him come toward me,” Rios said.

The featherweight title will return to Cleveland once again, but it will travel with a new boxer in 2007. Raynell Williams (Cleveland, Ohio) grabbed the featherweight crown with a 16-9 win over Rico Ramos (Los Angeles, Calif.) in their title bout. Williams enjoyed the lead from bell-to-bell, holding Ramos scoreless in the first en route to a 4-0 lead after one. He pushed his lead to six by the end of the third round and maintained his advantage over the final two minutes to win the 16-9 final decision.

The lightweight division featured a razor-close bout between Diego Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Jerry Belmontes (Corpus Christi, Texas). The bout was deadlocked at four after the first round, but Magdaleno grabbed the lead in the second and didn’t let it go. He held a slim two-point edge as the bell rang for final round and held on through the final 120 seconds to pull out a 13-12 decision and win his first U.S. Championships title. “I didn’t know a lot about Belmontes so my strategy was to win by points by landing clean, effective shots. The Olympics are the ultimate goal and this is the beginning,” Magdaleno said.

Javier Molina (Commerce, Calif.) closed a busy week with his sixth straight victory, defeating three-time Golden Gloves champion Brad Solomon (Douglasville, Ga.) by a 17-13 margin. The lead changed hands early and often in the light welterweight final bout. Solomon took a 6-5 advantage after one, but it was Molina enjoying the one-point lead at the midway point. The two boxers were tied at 11 at the end of three, but Molina enjoyed a scoring spurt in the final minute of the bout to win the 17-13 final decision and his first U.S. Championships crown. “In the beginning, I tried to pressure him to make him tired. He had really long arms and kept catching me,” Molina said. “Going into the last round, I know I had to step it up.”

Charles Hatley (Dallas, Texas) took full advantage of his first trip to a U.S. Championships final round bout, putting a quick end to his contest with Mahlon Kerwick (Fort Carson, Colo.). Hatley flew out to an outstanding start, taking a 13-3 lead after one round of boxing. He continued his onslaught in the second stanza, moving out to a 25-5 advantage in the final second of the round to win the mandatory stoppage and the welterweight title. “Hard work pays off, everyday I had to be working hard,” Hatley said. “Today was my late grandfather’s birthday and I felt like he was in the ring. He was my first coach,” Hatley said.

The middleweight division showcased the bout of the night as Fernando Guerrero (Salisbury, Md.) battled in a crowd-pleaser with 2007 Golden Gloves champion Shawn Porter (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio). Guerrero took early control in the bout, which showcased both boxers throwing heavy blows from bell-to-bell. He lead after every round, turning his 10-8 lead at the midway point of the bout into a 20-12 advantage after three. The fourth round boasted more of the same exciting action as Guerrero moved out to a 33-17 final decision and his first national championship.

Defending champion Christopher Downs (Fort Carson, Colo.) enjoyed strong crowd support in his light heavyweight championship battle with Yathomas Riley (San Diego, Calif.). The fans had much to cheer about as Downs won a 28-14 decision over Riley to take his second straight national title. Downs grabbed the momentum in the opening seconds and never let it go. He moved out to a 14-3 lead after two rounds of action, but Riley pulled to within seven as the fourth round began. Yet, the fourth round belonged to Downs, as he doubled his lead to win a 28-14 final decision and the light heavyweight title.

The heavyweight bout featured a match-up between the towering Deontay Wilder (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and 2006 U.S. Championships silver medallist James Zimmerman (San Jose, Calif.). Following a close first round, Wilder blew it open in the second, taking a 14-2 advantage at the halfway mark. He took a 23-10 lead into the final round before winning the 31-15 final decision and the heavyweight crown. The victory gives Wilder his second national championship over the past eight weeks, following his championship at the 2007 National Golden Gloves.
Two-time super heavyweight national champion Mike Wilson (Central Point, Ore.) once again closed the event, facing off with 2006 Junior World Championships bronze medallist Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.). Wilson took the early lead, but Hunter pulled it to within one at the end of three. Hunter continued his strong boxing in the fourth en route to a 25-24 win and the super heavyweight title.

2004 Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) won his third straight national championship on a medical disqualification over Aaron Alafa (Visalia, Calif.).

Championship Bout Results
106 lbs/48 kg: Luis Yanez, Duncanville, Texas dec. Daniel Lozano, Bowling Green, Fla., 19-8
112 lbs/51 kg: Rau'shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio won on medical disqualification over Aaron Alafa, Visalia, Calif., DQ
119 lbs/54 kg: Ronny Rios, Santa Ana, Calif., dec. David Clark, San Diego, Calif., 25-14
125 lbs/57 kg: Raynell Williams, Cleveland, Ohio dec. Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif., 16-9
132 lbs/60 kg: Diego Magdaleno, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Jerry Belmontes, Corpus Christi, Texas, 13-12
141 lbs/64 kg: Javier Molina, Commerce, Calif., dec. Brad Solomon, Douglasville, Ga., 17-13
152 lbs/69 kg: Charles Hatley, Dallas, Texas stopped Mahlon Kerwick, Fort Carson, Colo., RSCO-2 (2:00)
165 lbs/75 kg: Fernando Guerrero, Salisbury, Md., dec. Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 33-17
178 lbs/91 kg: Christopher Downs, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Yathomas Riley, San Diego, Calif., 28-14
201 lbs/91 kg: Deontay Wilder, Tuscaloosa, Ala., dec. James Zimmerman, San Jose, Calif., 31-15
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Michael Hunter, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Mike Wilson, Central Point, Ore., 25-24