Beltway Amateurs Prepare For USA Boxing National Championships!

The 2009 USA Boxing National Championships begin tomorrow in Denver, CO and because of the way the tournament is set up, there will be a large contingent from the Beltway region. Eighteen boxers from the Beltway will be among the more than 450 boxers participating.

For the first time, the open division male and female boxers will compete alongside the junior male and female athletes in the event that will run until June 13. More than 180 open division males will vie for a national title in the event, which serve as a World Championships qualifier for the open division men. On the women's side, 81 open division females have registered for the tournament, which will be contested just two months before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes the final decision on Olympic inclusion for female boxers.

There will be nine boxers from the area on the East Central Open team, Nine of them will be on the men's team:

119 lbs: Marcus Gaddis, Landover, MD

125 lbs: Kevin Rivers, Landover, MD

132 lbs: Elvis Medrano, Washington DC

141 lbs: Gary Allen Russell, Capitol Heights, MD

165 lbs: Travis Peterkin, Edgewood, MD

178 lbs: Thomas Williams, Fort Washington, MD

201 lbs: Charles Johnson, Upper Marlboro, MD

201+ lbs: Ronald Gamble, Laurel, MD

Also, on the Open Women's team:

112 lbs: Maria Cash, Oxon Hill, MD


On the East Central Junior team:

101 lbs: Patrick Harris, Hyattsville, MD

114 lbs: Gary Antonio Russell, Capitol Heights, MD

132 lbs: Parris Chisholm III, Oxon Hill, MD

138 lbs: Michael Reed, Waldorf, MD

145 lbs: Antoine Douglas, Washington, DC

On the Junior Women's team:

132 lbs: Asia Stevenson, Washington DC

There will be an area boxer on the Police Athletic League team:

201 lbs: Nicholas Kisner, Glen Burnie, MD

Two locals will be on the Silver Gloves junior team:

165 lbs: D'Mitrius Ballard, Temple Hills, MD.

178 lbs: Jerry Odom, Bowie, MD


Other boxers of note who have ties to the area include 132-pounder Todd DeKinderen of Camp Lejune, NC who was on the DC Region Golden Gloves team and 201-pounder Hasim Rahman, Jr. who is on the Great West Region Open team.