Carlos Balders Claims the US first Win in the 2014 Youth World Championships

[Story by Julie Goldesticker/USA Boxing/photo-facebook of Gonzalez]

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) –  The United States squad opened the 2014 Youth World Championships with three preliminary round bouts on Tuesday at the Armeec Arena in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bantamweight Carlos Balderas (Santa Maria, Calif.) took the United States squad’s first victory in a short preliminary bout in afternoon action while female flyweight Caitlin Orosco (Anaheim, Calif.) and male lightweight Isidro Ochoa (Fresno, Calif.) each dropped close bouts in the opening round in Bulgaria.

Balderas faced off with Sudan’s Elghali Nasereldin in preliminary round action, and their bantamweight contest didn’t last long. Less than 20 seconds in to the bout, Nasereldin’s corner determined that their boxer was overmatched and threw in the towel. The first round stoppage gave Balderas his first victory of the tournament and advanced him on to a second round contest with Kenya’s Said Baguani on Friday.

Orosco competed in the first bout of the event for the United States, facing Argentina’s Anyelen Espinosa in women’s flyweight competition in the morning session. The two battled in a close contest through all four rounds, but Orosco fell by split decision in the flyweight opener.

Ochoa competed in one of the final bouts of the day in a match-up with Kazakhstan’s Ablahikhan Zhussupov. The American lightweight kept the bout close, but dropped a 3-0 decision to Zhussupov in their first round contest.

Female lightweight Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.) will be the only American boxer competing in Wednesday’s competition in Bulgaria. She will face off with Vietnam’s Trang le Thi in the seventh bout of the morning session at the Armeec Arena.

Coaches Pedro Roque (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Ed Rivas (Abilene, Texas), David Balderas (Santa Maria, Calif.), and Willie Moses (Newark, N.J.) are leading the United States team at the international event in Bulgaria with Dr. Ralph Bohm (Dix Hills, N.Y.) serving as the team physician.