Youth, Novice Golden Gloves titles handed out – by Brian Ackley

(JULY 11)  The first of the 2014 national Women’s Golden Gloves championships have been handed out yesterday and today after some crowd pleasing bouts in the senior novice and youth division.  The open finals are Saturday night at the Pier 66 Hyatt Regency in Fort Lauderdale. General admission tickets at $15 will be available at the door.

Following is a finals recap from action Thursday and Friday:

178-plus Senior Novice – New Jersey’s Shadasia Green scored a first round stoppage of Florida’s Colleen Mitchell to capture her title.
Green has been “taking it serious now” for about two years.

“I just went out there and fought my fight,” she said. “I like to make sure I’m moving and letting my hands go.”

She hopes to make an Olympic bid, and “empower women all around the sport. It’s always hard to defeat another woman. I want to lift everyone up and be an inspiration to people.”

178 Senior Novice – Joy Rotstein from the Tiger Schulmann’s Bayside gym in New York City closed Friday’s matinee with an entertaining and close split decision win over New Jersey’s Donielle Miner.

Rotstein has been boxing for about five years, but has gotten more serious about competing in the ring a few years ago.

“I just had to keep my reach going, and non-stop pressure,” she said about the win. “I knew I was a little bit taller so I wanted to keep her out with the jab so I could set up the rest of us. She was a strong girl. It was a tough fight, we both worked really hard, but luckily I was able to push through.”

152 Senior Novice – Genesis Martinez scored a unanimous decision over Florida’s Jessica Wyche.

Martinez boxes out of the Old School Boxing Gym in East Longmeadow, Mass. And has been in the sport for only a year and a half. She was looking for an athletic outlet after suffering a knee injury while playing basketball.

“It was surprising. I didn’t think I did that well. I had never fought a lefty before, so it was hard moving to the side, but I got used to it in the second round,” she said.

141 Senior Novice – Octavia Dandridge worked inside to land several good shots to stop Florida’s Jessica Moreland with three-standing eight counts in the second round to take the top spot.

Dandridge fights out of the Southeast Community Center in Canton, Ohio, and has been boxing for only about 18 months.

“Pressure,” she said about her key to the win. “I just applied pressure when I saw that she was hurt. I saw in the first round she wasn’t jabbing much, so in the second round I jumped on her.”
Dandridge said she is hoping to stay in the sport and one day turn professional.

 132 Senior Novice – Alexis Morant had one of the quickest wins of the finals, stopping Michigan’s Danielle Cooley in the first round.
Morant fights out of the Mendez Boxing Gym in New York City, and she’s been fighting off and on for two years now.

She said she often can show the power she showed in winning the Golden Gloves title Thursday.

“My right hand is my favorite punch, and I got a few of those in today,” she said. “I landed that and my jab was actually working good today.”

She said she is hopes to move up the open division in the future to challenge for titles there.

125 Novice Open – Jennifer Tran recorded a standing eight count against Katherine Koes in a spirited final round to score a decision win.

Tran, who fights out of Canino’s Karate and Boxing Studio in Dania Beach, Florida, has been fighting for only about a year and a half.
“I just wanted to punch hard,” she said. “I saw her yesterday, and I saw that she charged in at her opponent so I made sure I kept moving to stay out of her range.”

119 Novice Open – Georgia’s Leann Bass took a tactical decision from Florida’s Ashlee Nichols to win her title.

Bass boxes out of Terri Moss’ Buckhead Fight Club in suburban Atlanta, and has only been boxing for a couple of years.

She actually isn’t planning on pursuing a boxing career in the ring, but out of it as a coach. However, she wants the experience of being in the ring to understand that perspective when she starts that part of her fight career.

“I was taller and had a longer reach, so my strategy was one-two and move,” she said.

106 Youth: Juliette Ladisa proved to be a little too much for Megan Ybarra of Texas when the bout was stopped in the third round following four standing eight counts, including two in the final round.
Ladisa, who fights under the banner of the Yonkers, N.Y. YMCA, has been in the ring for about six years now.

“I was the shorter fighter so I had to stay in on her and cut the angles and make sure I didn’t go straight into her punches, or I knew I would be tagged right away,”’ she said.

Ladisa is also hoping to make an Olympic bid, and then might pursue a career in mixed martial arts.

119 Youth: Melody Montes earned a unanimous decision over Brenda Roman of New York for her first place medal.

Montes, a bantamweight out of PR Boxing Gym in Kissimmee, has been in the sport for eight years now.

“I know I fought a little bit, but I wanted to keep my distance and score enough points without getting hit,” she said.

She is hoping to make a bid for the USA’s 2016 Olympic team, and after that is hoping for a pro career.

125 Youth: Fanny Kaiser scored a unanimous decision over Florida’s Victoria Betancourt.

Kaiser, who fights out of the historic Fifth Street Gym in Miami, actually started in kickboxing before starting boxing in the last couple of years.

“I was strong,” she said. “I know that my best thing is my cross hook, so I wanted to time her.”

She hopes to be a professional one day in boxing and Thai boxing.
141 Youth: Mikiah Kreps was busy in scoring a split decision win over Alicia Campos of North Carolina to earn her title.

Kreps trains at Casal’s Boxing Club in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and has been fighting since she was about nine, inheriting the fighting mantle from her mother Deb who also boxed. She scored two standing eight counts against Campos in the third round en route to the win.

“I just let my hands go and tried to be first,” she said. Her overhand right was particularly effective.

“I felt her out the first round, and I saw the she kept her hands down, so I kept using it.”

She too is hoping for a shot at an Olympic bid, and would then also like to turn pro.”