Team USA Clinches Four Final Round Berths at the 2014 Pan American Olympic Festival

(JULY 19)  COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – The American winning streak remained in tact on Friday at the 2014 Pan American Olympic Festival in Mexico City. Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.), middleweight Claressa Shields and super heavyweight Cam F. Awesome (Lenexa, Kansas) all won their semifinal match-ups to join flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) in tonight’s final round action.

Awesome was the first of the three U.S. boxers to take the ring in Friday’s semifinals and he earned his third win of the tournament with a 2-1 decision over Ecuador’s Jorge Quinonez in men’s super heavyweight competition. He will face off with host nation boxer Edgar Ramirez in the super heavyweight finale tonight in Mexico City.

Underwood took on Argentina’s Dayana Sanchez in her semifinal match on Friday in Mexico. She took a unanimous decision victory over Sanchez in the women’s lightweight contest to clinch her spot in the lightweight championship bout. She will challenge a Mexican boxer in final round action as well, battling Victoria Torres in the championship bout.

Team USA’s reigning gold medalist had to wait until the third day of competition to make her tournament debut, but Shields made it worth the wait in her semifinal bout with Mexico’s own Alma Ibarra. She won a 2-0 decision over the host nation boxer to set up a rematch with the Dominican Republic’s Yenebier Guillen in the women’s middleweight title bout.

Esparza won her spot in tonight’s finals on Thursday and will take on Mexico’s Sulem Urbina in the women’s flyweight contest this evening.

The Pan American Olympic Festival is a multi-sport event with approximately 3500 athletes competing in 23 sports across Mexico.

U.S. Results

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec. Dayana Sanchez, ARG, 3-0 165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Alma Ibarra, MEX, 2-0 201+ lbs/male: Cam F. Awesome, Lenexa, Kansas/USA dec. Jorge Quinonez, ECU, 2-1