U.S. Nationals Kick-Off in Colorado Springs
Posted: March 10, 2008

After several months of advancing tournaments, some 270 of the country's finest amateur boxers have descended on Colorado to compete in the 2008 U.S. National Championships. The week-long tournament, which is also referred to this year as the Future Stars National Championships began Sunday and runs through Friday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

For the first time at the event, judges will be using a new computer scoring system - the same one that will be used at the upcoming Olympics in China, one that is more in keeping with international competition but is foreign - no pun intended - to most American boxers.

Michigan boxers are represented by Kronk's Leandre White, Craig Lewis and Latonya King, Unity's Jorge Rosario and MLK-NMU's Ryan Schmidt. Additionally, several boxers attending the Olympic Training Center at Marquette's Northern Michigan University are competing, as are several former NMU grads that have since returned to their home states.

Preliminary action kicked off on March 9th (Sunday) with fifteen bouts contested and will run through March 11. Semifinal competition will begin March 12, the women will compete in final round bouts on March 13 and the men’s championship contests will take place on March 14 (Friday). Michigan boxers will see first action today.

In Noon action, Leandre White (152 lbs) will face Arturo Crespin of Las Vegas, NMU's DeRae Crane (178 lbs, Davenport, Iowa) will see action in the form of Miami's Abdulah Dobey and NMU's Jesse Carradine (132 lbs, Cincinnati, Ohio) is matched against Mt. Vernon, New York's Chazz McDowell.

In evening action, Craig Lewis (201 lbs) competes against Joe Guzman of Fort Carson, Colorado while NMU's Termaine Woodward goes up against Jeff Strum of Wichita, Kansas.

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