Tag: #USA Boxing

Antonio Vargas and Mikaela Mayer are Eliminated at the 2016 Olympic Games

AUG. 15, 2016, 10:07 P.M. (ET)

The United States boxing team dropped two tough bouts on Monday at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. American flyweight Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.) celebrated his 20th birthday and was hoping to celebrate with a second round win but he dropped his second bout of the Olympic Games in a match-up with Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov. Lightweight Mikaela Mayer(Los Angeles, Calif.) competed in her second bout of the tournament on Monday as well and lost a close decision in a hard-fought battle with Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova.

Vargas took the ring in the early session at Riocentro Pavilion 6 looking to earn a spot in the quarterfinal round. The squad from Uzbekistan has enjoyed tremendous success in the 2016 Olympic Games and it continued in their flyweight match-up. Vargas started the bout looking to box from the outside and catch the elusive Gaibnazarov. He continued to stalk his opponent in the second round but Gaibnazarov built a two round lead in the match-up. Vargas was even more aggressive in the third round, landing a strong right hand midway through the round that caught the attention of the crowd. Yet he couldn’t make up his deficit and lost a unanimous decision to Gaibnazarov. 

“He was an awkward fighter, awkward southpaw. I’ve fought very few styles like that. It was kind of hard to hit him at times. It’s two different styles. His is more European, he keeps his hands out so it’s something different for me. It was a good fight. I did what I could,” Vargas said. I thought it was a close fight. I wasn’t mad when he won the fight. God has gotten me this far and I’m real grateful. I’m keeping my head up. I’m just really grateful that I got here. Not too many people get to see they’ve been in the Olympics. God has blessed me enough to experience this feeling and I’m just going to go and support my team.”

He feels that he started to see things late in the bout that would have been beneficial to figure out early in the match in a short Olympic-style bout.  “That last round, I was hitting with some shots. I was a little more calm and just reacting more and coming back and I kind of figured that out in the last round. Figuring out that style in the first round that’s real essential in these three-minute, three rounds,” Vargas said.

Despite the loss earlier than he would have hoped, Vargas has taken a lot from his first Olympic Games.

“I judge it as a learning experience. I expected more from myself but it’s a fight to learn from. I see new styles everyday when I’m out here in worldwide tournaments. It’s a new experience. I’m going to go back and learn from my mistakes and capitalize on what I was doing wrong and try to perfect my style,” he said.

Mayer stepped in to the ring for her quarterfinal contest with Beliakova in the first bout of Monday’s evening session at Riocentro. She started off quickly in the bout, opening the first round with a crisp 1-2 to Beliakova’s head. Mayer looked to land clean, straight shots while Beliakova tried to make the contest more rough and tumble. The American’s accurate punches give her the first round on two of the judges’ scorecards. She started the second round in a similar fashion to the first and looked to use her movement and clean punching to outbox and outwork the Russian. The majority of the judges give the second and third rounds to Mayer’s opponent and she entered the fourth and final stanza needing to win the last two minutes to pull the bout to a tie. She landed several clean combinations in the final 120 seconds but only one judge gave her the final round and she dropped her quarterfinal contest by split decision.

“I’m definitely disappointed. It was a close fight so it makes it even more disappointing because maybe a couple more combinations could have done the trick. I thought I might have pulled it off at the end but I also knew that it was close and I this is boxing. You let a fight get that close and just don’t know who they’re going to give it to. I was hoping they were going to give it to me but they didn’t,” she said. “The game plan was to let that 1-2 go and let her fall in to your jab because she’s not a mover. She puts pressure on despite her being tall and long so I know she’d run into our shots but her punch count is high too so she was throwing when I was throwing. I tried to let my hands go. She’s a good boxer. She’s tall and she’s long but she fights right in the pocket and she puts pressure on which you wouldn’t really expect of a fighter with that height and that reach. Good fight but disappointing.”

With defending Olympic champion Katie Taylor losing her tournament opener earlier in the day, it was clear that the women’s lightweight division was wide open. “At this level, it’s an even playing field and I knew that anything could happen and Katie Taylor going out the first day just proves that anything can happen at this level. These medals are up for grabs,” Mayer said.

Two more American boxers will compete for medals on Tuesday afternoon at Riocentro Pavilion 6. Bantamweight Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.) will face Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat in the quarterfinals at 11:45 a.m., and light welterweight Gary Antuanne Russell will take on Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov at 12:15 p.m.  

For full tournament brackets and schedule information, click here.

U.S. Result
114 lbs/52 kg: Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, UZB, dec. Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla./USA, 3-0

132 lbs/60 kg: Anastasiia Beliakova, RUS, dec. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif./USA, 2-0

Mikaela Mayer Starts Her Olympic Journey While Olympic Bronze Nico Hernandez and Carlos Balderas Find the End of Their Road in Rio

AUG. 12, 2016, 7 P.M. (ET)

Olympic village roommates Nico Hernandez (Wichita, Kansas) and Carlos Balderas (Santa Maria, Calif.) got their U.S. team off to a strong start in the Rio Olympics but the run ended on Friday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro. Hernandez clinched a bronze medal with his third victory of the tournament on Wednesday but lost in his semifinal bout to Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov this morning. Balderas enjoyed two Olympic victories early in the week to move on today’s quarterfinal match-up with Cuban Olympic bronze medalist Lazaro Alvarez and he put on an impressive showing in today’s action but dropped a decision on the judges scorecards. Female lightweight Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) made her long awaited debut a victorious one in Wednesday evening competition. 

Twenty-year-old Hernandez clinched the first medal of the 2016 Olympic Games with his third victory of the tournament on Wednesday but he couldn’t extend his winning streak on Friday. Hernandez has lost the first round in all four of his matches at the Olympics and today’s semifinal bout with Dusmatov told the same tale. Hernandez looked to find openings and pick his shots early in the bout and managed to connect with some accurate punches but fell behind after the opening round. He picked up his work rate in the second round but caught a head butt from the shorter Dusmatov that opened a cut over his eye. Although a trickle of blood dripped down his face, Hernandez wasn’t discouraged. The American corner stopped the bleeding and Hernandez came out firing in the third, looking to try and make up the two round deficit he faced. The doctor stopped the bout for a brief minute to check the cut but allowed Hernandez to continue. He finished the bout strongly but dropped a unanimous decision in the semifinal contest. Despite the loss, Hernandez wins a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic Games following an impressive run through the tournament.

“I didn’t stay on the outside and move enough. I fought his fight instead of my own. I let him come in and make the fight too wild and that’s how I lost.  I think I started doing it (throwing body shots) way too late in the fight, not until the last round. I waited too long. I definitely knew it was close. I thought I lost the first round, I thought the second round was really close. The third round I thought I pulled it off,” Hernandez said. “The corner after the first round told me it’s way too close, you have to feint more and move around and pick your shots. Don’t let him get on the inside and make it rough. I tried, I just let him come on the inside and made it a great fight.”

Hernandez has previous experience with cuts in fights that helped him deal with the one he sustained on Friday. “When I got cut, my vision went a little blurry. I couldn’t really see that well. After they cleaned it up (in the corner), it got better,” he said. “It didn’t really affect me too much. I felt a little bit of blood leak down. It didn’t really hurt. I’m pretty sure it will be sore later.”

Although he certainly wanted the top spot on the podium, Hernandez certainly understands the importance of securing a medal. “It’s definitely disappointing because I wanted to go home with the gold medal. I’m leaving with the bronze but I know USA Boxing is proud of me. All of my supporters back home are proud of me so I’m just blessed to be here. It ended the drought of medaling. It was definitely a great feeling to be the first one in eight years but I didn’t want to go home with the bronze medal. I’m definitely proud that I made it to this level. I’m definitely blessed. I know everyone back at home is proud of me win or lose.”

Now that Hernandez is done competing, he looks forward to seeing his teammates compete to join him on the medal stand. “We are just a young, hungry team, staying focused and pushing each other to become better and go out there and be victorious. We definitely love pushing each other at practice and in fights. Since we were little, we’ve always said that when we get there, we’re going to medal and we’ll push each other until we do that and now we are finally here,” he said. 

While he doesn’t have a concrete plan for what’s next for him, Hernandez certainly gained a lot from his Olympic experience. “This is definitely a whole nother level of experience, the highest level I’ve ever been on. I learned to just focus on your opponent and not what’s around you or in the stands. I’m going to take a little break after this. Talk to my father about it and see what we come up with,” Hernandez said.  

He will receive his bronze medal on Sunday following the light flyweight gold medal bout. Hernandez will appear on NBC’s The Today Show tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. 

Balderas stepped in to the ring just as Hernandez exited for his quarterfinal showdown with a top rated Cuban foe. The American refused to be intimidated by his more experienced opponent and went right at Alvarez. He enjoyed a strong first round but the judges scored the opening three minutes for the Cuban boxer. He continued his strong work in the second stanza as Alvarez looked out outbox Balderas in the second. The American entered the third down two rounds on the judges’ scorecards and couldn’t overcome his deficit. Balderas lost a 3-0 decision in their quarterfinal contest to eliminate him from the competition. 

He felt that the quick turnaround from his previous fight impacted him in the bout.  “My previous fight was very, very rough, very tough. That fight took a lot out of me and those two days of rest that they gave me, it wasn’t enough for me to recover fully. The fight against Japan was very tough. I even felt it yesterday at night. It wouldn’t wake up. My body just felt very beat and tired. I did the most that I could. Things happen for a reason, only God knows why,” Balderas said.

He knew that Alvarez had an experience advantage in the match-up, particularly in the Olympic Games. “He was very long, he had a lot of experience, he knew what he was doing. He was just tapping from a distance, waiting for me to get in. I believe I was putting up a good fight. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was managing the distance, he was tapping away and I wasted a lot of energy chasing him down and trying to catch him with one shot.  I just fell a little short,” he added. 

Balderas opened the Olympic Games in impressive fashion for his U.S. squad and he’s pleased with what he was able to do in his first Olympics. “It (the Olympics) was an amazing experience. I’m happy with how far I’ve gotten. I know I could have done better but I’m just going to keep going forward. I’m going to go home, take a little break, talk with my family and we’ll see what the future holds for me.”

Now that he and his roommate are done competing, they will turn their attention to the five U.S. boxers remaining in the tournament. “We started off very strong, the team started very strong. Me and my roommate (Nico Hernandez) got victories and we still have more victories to come. I’m looking forward to watching my teammates fight as well. I think my team will do very good. I did as much as I could. My teammates are very focused. They are very hungry. I know they are very anxious, they’ve been talking about it in the room and they just say they want to go out there and put on a show to prove everybody wrong.” 

The day Mikaela Mayer has been waiting for for nearly 10 years finally came on Friday Riocentro Pavilion 6 as she walked to the ring for her first Olympic bout. Mayer competed in the first day of competition for the women’s bracket in Friday’s evening action. She took on the Federated States of Micronesia’s Jennifer Chieng, a New York native, in her tournament opener. Mayer wasted no time getting started in the bout, exerting her dominance early in the contest. She caught Chieng with clean shots in combination over the first two rounds, even taking the second stanza by a 10-8 margin on two of the judges’ scorecards. Mayer continued to dominate over the final two rounds, mixing in thudding body shots with her skillful movement and accurate straight shots. She rolled through to the end of the fourth round to take a wide, unanimous decision in her first Olympic Games. 

“I think I dominated all four rounds, obviously there’s always something to work on. It was my first fight. You’ve got to get your timing, your space, all that stuff down, get the nerves out of the way. I know I’m going to get sharper as the days go by. Billy’s big on using your distance so since I’ve been working with him, that’s something he’s really been stressing. Really getting my full reach out because I do have these long arms so I should use them to my advantage so if I’m not using them, it’s not worth anything,” Mayer said. 

“My nerves have been pretty good. You always have nerves no matter how long you’ve been doing this. You’re always going to have nerves. They weren’t more than any other fight. I took a second to realize that I’m about to walk out and compete in the Olympic Games. I took that in for a few seconds, not long. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s a dream come true for me.”

Mayer fell just short of making the Olympic team in 2012 but she feels that the extra four years have given her a whole different perspective on the accomplishment.  “I came close in 2012 but I really hadn’t been boxing that long. I was only four years in. It means so much more now. It’s been eight, nine years. I really put the time in.  I really had time for this dream to flourish in my brain and it’s really just become who I am. I am this dream so it means so much more now, it really does. The competition has just shot through the roof.  the A lot of these girls are experienced. They are coming in with Olympic medals. A lot of these girls are previous Olympians, multiple world champions,” she said.

She believes that the success she’s had despite her late start in the sport should encourage others to chase their own dreams. “I did start boxing kind of late. I think it’s just proof that it’s never too late to start something new. I’ve poured everything I had in to this from day one. I’m going to put everything I have in to this and see where it takes me. This is where it took me so it’s just proof that it’s never too late,” Mayer said.

Mayer will return for her quarterfinal bout with Russia’sAnastasiia Beliakova at 5 p.m. Brazil time (4 p.m. ET) on Monday, August 15. If she is victorious in her quarterfinal bout, she will clinch at least a bronze medal.

American flyweight Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.) will step in to the ring for the first time at Riocentro Pavilion 6 at 11:30 a.m. Brazil time (10:30 a.m. ET) against Brazil’s Juliao Neto. 

For full tournament brackets and schedule information, click here. 

U.S. Result
108 lbs/49 kg: Hasanboy Dusmatov, UZB, dec. Nico Hernandez, Wichita, Kansas/USA, 3-0

132 lbs/60 kg/male: Lazaro Alvarez, CUB, dec. Carlos Balderas, Santa Maria, Calif./USA, 3-0

132 lbs/60 kg/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif./USA dec. Jennifer Chieng, FSM, 3-0

Hernandez Takes Another Step Towards Gold 

Nico Hernandez is like a Kansas tornado, hellbent on defeating anything in his path. 
After outpointing Ecuador’s Carlos Eduardo Quipo Pilataxi he now moves to the light flyweight semifinals on Friday and can do no worse than a bronze medal. In fact, Hernandez will be the first American boxer to stand on an Olympic Podium in eight years, and twenty-eight years for the division. 

After the first round, two of the three judges scored the round for Pilitaxi, after the second two of the three for Hernandez. But in the final frame, all three were in favor of the warrior from Wichita.  

The difference in the fight was the skillset of Hernandez. While Pilitaxi was one dimensional throwing mostly power shots to the head, Hernandez settled in and boxed nicely exhibiting ring generalship beyond his years. 

In the first round, Pilitaxi attacked and landed some big shots; however Hernandez landed a few of his own but not enough to steal the round. 

A student of the game, Hernandez listened to the advice of his corner and understood the adjustments that needed to be made. 

Throughout the second and third rounds, Hernandez slipped punches, used feints, set up shots with his jab, went to the body, countered effectively, and like he did in the first two bouts, displayed an active left hook. 

Along with the adjustments made, his ability to remain calm and focused considering what was at stake helped his cause. 

On Friday Hernandez will face Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov. 

If you think Hernandez is satisfied to have just made it to this point, think again, “there may be gold in them thar hills” of Wichita, Kansas. 

Nico Hernandez Keeps It Rolling In Rio

Nico Hernandez decisioned Russia’s Vasilii Egorov Monday afternoon to go to 2-0 and he now advances to the quarterfinals. 

Hernandez’s win over Egorov was viewed as somewhat of an upset as Egorov was highly touted as the second seed in the light flyweight division. 

Not so much of an upset as far as Team Hernandez is concerned, they know they have something special. 

As he did in his first bout, Hernandez used an effective left hook and added an equally impressive right hook to both the head and body this time around. In addition his movement and feints were excellent causing his opponent frustration while creating openings for his attack.

You must improve with each bout and Hernandez did just that. As good as he was in the opener on Saturday, he was better today. 

Hernandez will now face Carlos Eduardo Quipo Palaxti of Ecuador on Wednesday.  A victory would guarantee Hernandez at least a bronze. 

Kansas Strong

In the Light Fly Prelims 46-49KG, Nico Hernandez defeated Italy’s Manuel Cappan by unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. 

After a close first round that two of the judges gave to the Italian, Hernandez settled in and began finding range for his left hook and straight right. Using effective in and out movement, Hernandez kept Cappan off balance and limited his attack . Hernandez’s speed was a notch above which allowed him to comfortably control the deciding two rounds  

US Olympic Boxing Trials Finals

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Sunday, December 13 – 12 p.m.

108 lbs:Nico Hernandez, Withita, Kansas, dec. Leroy Davila, Princeton, N.J., 2-1

114 lbs: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla., dec. Brent Venegas, Sacramento, Calif., 2-1

141 lbs: Gary Russell, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Jaron Ennis, Philadelphia, Penn., 3-0

152 lbs: Paul Kroll, Philadelphia, Penn., dec. Ardreal Holmes, Flint, Mich., 3-0

Saturday, December 12 – 7 p.m.

108 lbs: Leroy Davila, Princeton, N.J., dec. Nico Hernandez, Withita, Kansas, 3-0

114 lbs: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla., dec. Brent Venegas, Sacramento, Calif., 3-0

123 lbs: Shakur Stevenson, Newark, N.J., dec. Ruben Villa, Salinas, Calif., 3-0

132 lbs: Teofimo Lopez, Davie, Fla., dec. Maliek Montgomery, Macon, Ga., 2-1

141 lbs: Gary Russell, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Jaron Ennis, Philadelphia, Penn., 3-0

152 lbs: Paul Kroll, Philadelphia, Penn., dec. Ardreal Holmes, Flint, Mich., 3-0

165 lbs: Charles Conwell, Cleveland Heights, Leshawn Rodriquez, Medford, N.Y., 3-0

178 lbs: Jonathan Esquivel, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Elvis Figueroa, New Haven, Conn., 3-0

201 lbs: Cam F. Awesome, Lenexa, Kansas, dec. DaRae Crane, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0

201+ lbs: Marlo Moore, Hayward, Calif., dec. Brandon Lynch, Albany, N.Y., 3-0

US Olympic Boxing Trials -Thursday/Friday Results

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Friday, December 11 – 7 p.m.

108 lbs/challengers bracket: Leroy Davila, Princeton, N.J., dec. Pablo Ramirez, Westlaco, Texas, 2-1

114 lbs/challengers bracket: Antonio Vargas, Kissimmee, Fla., won on TKO over Christian Carto, Deptford, N.J., TKO-2

123 lbs/challengers bracket: Ruben Villa, Salinas, Calif., dec. Efren Lopez, Fresno, Calif., 3-0

132 lbs/challengers bracket: Maliek Montgomery, Macon, Ga., dec. Bruce Carrington, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3-0

141 lbs/challengers bracket: Gary Russell, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Rahim Gonzales, Sylmar, Calif., 3-0

152 lbs/challengers bracket: Paul Kroll, Philadelphia, Penn., dec. Brian Ceballo, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2-1

165 lbs/challengers bracket: Leshawn Rodriquez, Medford, N.Y., dec. Chordale Booker, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2-1

178 lbs/challengers bracket: Elvis Figueroa, New Haven, Conn., dec. Joseph George, Houston, Texas, 3-0

201 lbs/challengers bracket: DeRae Crane, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Joshua Temple, St. Louis, Mo., 2-1

201+ lbs/challengers bracket: Brandon Lynch, Albany, N.Y., won on medical disqualification over Darmani Rock, Philadelphia, Penn., W/O

Thursday, December 10 – 7 p.m.

108 lbs/challengers bracket: Pablo Ramirez, Westlaco, Texas, dec. Nicholas Scaturchio, Hartsdale, N.Y., 3-0

114 lbs/challengers bracket: Christian Carto, Deptford, N.J., dec. Eros Correa, San Jose, Calif., 2-1

123 lbs/challengers bracket: Ruben Villa, Salinas, Calif., dec. Francisco Martinez, Dallas, Texas, 3-0

132 lbs/challengers bracket: Bruce Carrington, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Elijah Pierce, Oklahoma, Okla., 2-1

141 lbs/challengers bracket: Gary Russell, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Jamaine Ortiz-Rodriguez, Worchester, Mass., 3-0

152 lbs/challengers bracket: Paul Kroll, Philadelphia, Penn., dec. Ferdinand Kerobyan, N. Hollywood, Calif., 2-1

165 lbs/challengers bracket: Leshawn Rodriguez, Medford, N.J., dec. Anthony Campbell, Covington, Tenn., 2-1

178 lbs/challengers bracket: Joseph George, Houston, Texas, dec. Miguel Teo, Framingham, Mass., 3-0
201 lbs/challengers bracket: Joshua Temple, St. Louis, Mo., dec. Brandon Glanton, Atlanta, Ga., 2-1
201+ lbs/challengers bracket: Brandon Lynch, Albany, N.Y., dec. Alante Green, Cleveland, Ohio, 3-0

D’Angelo Sandate- Punching His Way From The Classroom To The Ring In Pursuit Of Gold

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While most high school kids are looking forward to winter break and hanging out with friends, Pomona High’s D’Angelo Sandate has just “a bit” more on his plate.

The Las Vegas born Coloradan is in Reno, Nevada preparing to compete in the 108 pound division at the US Olympic Boxing Trials, December 7-12. Sandate earned his way to the trials with his strong showing at the Pathway to Glory Olympic Qualifier 1 in June.

Sandate is supported by a strong family and he honors them every time he steps in the ring. He fights for his father, who has been his coach and mentor since he began. He fights for his mother who’s cheers drown out the crowd. He fights for his brother, inspired by his strength in having had a liver transplant at age five.

He want’s to show in Rio that he’s not only an “A” student in the classroom, but also in the ring.  As we spoke about his journey and the road that lies ahead, it was evident that Sandate is a student of the game and not so much overwhelmed by the moment as he is ready for the opportunity.

I caught up with Sandate at Delgado’s Gym in Denver on the eve of his departure from the Mile High City in route to the Biggest Little City In The World to discuss the upcoming trials.

Standing-8: You’re eighteen, have been boxing for about ten years and are still in high school?

Sandate: Yes, about ten years, yes, I’m in high school at Pomona (Arvada, Colorado).

Standing-8:  Oh, Pomona, you guys are in the state football championship on Saturday.

Sandate: Too bad I can’t go, I got other stuff , just a few things to do. (Laughs)

Standing-8: How did you get into the sport?

Sandate: I used to play football and you know how there is an off-season? My dad just took me to the gym, and I was in there and just loved it. I stopped playing football and just started doing boxing. My dad was a boxer, it’s always been me and him all the time cause we’ve been to a bunch of gyms, but in the end, it’s always been just me and my dad and that’s what I appreciate, that he’s always by my side.

Standing-8: Talk to me about this experience for you; you’re a senior in high school and you’re going to Reno to fight in the Olympic Trials for a chance to win the tournament and be on your way to Rio……to be in the Olympics!

Sandate: It’s a big thing because I’m still really young, I barely just turned eighteen and will be fresh outta high school when the Olympics come. I think it is just going to be a great experience either way it goes. I’m planning to out there and win, I want to go out there and win, but even if it doesn’t happen, it’s still a great experience and I still have four more years to stay in the amateurs and try again in 2020.

Standing-8: About your age, are you the youngest competitor in the 108’s for the trials?

Sandate: I’m the second youngest, there’s some guy from New York that’s seventeen, he turns eighteen out there though. Him and me were the youngest, fighting grown men, we just barely turned eighteen, it’s a great experience, I love it, other people get scared but, I don’t know, it’s a thrill ride for me.

Standing-8: Do you think there are advantages to being a bit younger and maybe exploit those advantages in the ring?

Sandate: I believe so, these guys have been in like major tournaments, not like this but big tournaments, I’ve only been in the boxing scene for a little bit because I’ve been taking my time. When I was sixteen, I could have fought open class and fought twenty year olds and my dad was like no, you’re going to take a little break, wait for your body to develop, use this time to get better. So that’s what I did and once I got older, I went out there and I fought, I did good, I thought I did good, my dad thought I did good, must have done good if I’m in the trials. I think we’re both really young but I’m just going to go out there and use all my energy that I can, like my younger energy I guess you can say. (laughs)  

Standing-8: Talk to me a little bit about your path to these trials, you were a Golden Gloves champion?

Sandate: Before this one, I just lost to Melik (Elliston). It was my first fight from two years, first fight as an open fighter, three minutes, I wasn’t really used to it. I did great the first round, second half I started to gas out.

Standing-8: You won Golden Gloves in 2013, did I see that, any other tournaments you’ve won?

Sandate: I think it was 2012, I won Gloves two or three times as a junior. I’ve won National Silver Gloves before. I’m a little inexperienced compared to these other guys but it doesn’t matter, I’m just going to go out there and fight.

Standing-8: That’s the right attitude to have, really the pressure would be on them actually, right?

Sandate: Yes, because I’m the younger fighter.  

Standing-8: From your experiences at the Golden Gloves and the Nationals, what do you believe you learned that will help you in the trials here?

Sandate: From those fights, you know, you win some and lose some, like the last Gloves, I lost. I wasn’t too down on myself, he was like twenty-two years old, he’s an older guy than me. I just learned from it you know? These guys have a winning track, even when you’re winning, it’s kind of hard to learn some things but when you lose, it’s much easier to learn from it, and that’s what I think is really good when I lose, I get better from it each time. I think I’ll be able to carry that out to the trials.  

Standing-8: What it would it mean to you to win these trials, go to the Olympics and be representing the United States and Denver,Colorado

Sandate: I’d honestly be honored and shocked. This has always been a dream of mine since I was little. Me and my dad would be, 2016 Olympics, the 2016 Olympics, we’d always just fool around and now that it can come true, we’re like..oh my god.. we actually gotta start getting to work now (laughs).

Standing-8: Talk to me a little about your training and your preparation getting ready for these trials and your mindset.  

Sandate: I mean, there is a saying, 90% is mental and 10% physical, I believe when you train, the most important part is to be mentally strong. Anybody can be physically strong in what they do but, if you’re not mentally strong it doesn’t matter. When you go out there and let’s say you’re losing, you will just go down the drain…oh my God, I’m losing..it’s not going to fix anything. But if you are mentally strong, you go out there you lose, the second round you come out and adjust and come out and try and win.  

Standing-8: Who are some of your favorite fighters?

Sandate: Juan Manuel Marquez. He’s a great fighter, he’s really old (laughs) and he’s still fighting and keeping up with these young guys and I love his style, him and his coach are great, Nacho Beristain.

Standing-8: Is your style comparable to a particular boxer, did you mold yourself after Marquez kind of style?

Sandate: A little bit, he’s more of a counter puncher, I can’t really be like that because I’m the shorter guy, I got to go in there and bring the fight. I follow his style a little bit, like the way he keeps his hands, how he’s composed, and I brought a little of Brandon Rios kind of, coming forward but more defensive. Come forward, head movement, catching punches, throwing punches n bunches.  I also like Manny Pacquiao because of his speed.

Standing-8: What are your long term goals? We talked about using this as a learning experience if it doesn’t go exactly like you’ve planned, you come back in four years?  

Sandate: It all depends on what happens out there. I would love to turn pro, that’s always been a dream of mine too, to turn pro and be a World Champion. If I get offers, I’d probably turn pro and then not wait the other four years but if I don’t then definitely wait the four years and try it again. Then if I don’t get an offer, I’ll just turn pro on my own.

Standing-8: What are your long term goals in the pros, weight class?

Sandate: Did you just watch that fight, it was a while back, “Chocolatito” (Roman Gonzalez) vs Brian Viloria, you know what weight they are their like 114, I’m guessing that will be around my weight, maybe 120’s, it all depends on how my body develops. Unless I get a growth spurt (laughs).

Standing-8: I spoke to your mom and I know she is very excited and nervous at the same time. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Sandate: She is, when we go to the fights, she is always the loudest. Yes, I have a little brother.

Standing-8: What do you think about the removal of the head gear?  

Sandate: I was a little nervous at first but when I went out there, I felt a lot better, seeing a lot more, you can obviously feel a lot more and you can feel those elbows coming in, especially headbutts. The championship night at the qualifier, I got headbutted and got a pretty nasty black eye. You know what? I love that, I’m hoping I go to this tournament and get some cuts and bruises, I know it sounds weird.

Standing-8: Battle scars, you back to high school wearing them like a badge of honor. Let me ask you about your high school, Pomona. How aware are they about the trials? This is a big deal, you’re going to the Olympic trials

Sandate: A lot of my teachers know that I box but they’re more behind their football team, especially since they’re going to state and last year our wrestling team came runner-up and the year before that our wrestling won state so they’ve always been behind the big sports.

Standing-8: I know that they will be behind that, but in your case, they have a student that is going to the trials for a chance to go to the Olympics and that’s a big deal. They should of had a “King (Sandate’s nickname) for a day” and gave you a pep rally.

Sandate:  (Laughs) Today, they read on the announcements, “Good luck D’Angelo in the Olympic trials” It was pretty cool. It’s going to be a great experience, I’m really excited for it. I’m kind of glad I’m going in there as an underdog. Malik and Pablo and Nico are the top three guys and expected to do real good, they’ve been around the boxing scene. The other people in there like me, we’ve kind of been underlyers. I think it’s my time to shine.

Standing-8: Who besides Melik have you previously fought that are in this tournament?

Sandate: I’ve only fought two, Malik and Pablo. Those are two of the top three guys which I’m fine with. When I fought them, a lot of people were expecting them to blow me out of the water but that wasn’t it, I brought the fight to them.     

Standing-8: That says a lot for you heading in here, you’ve already fought some of the top guys and even though you weren’t victorious you held you own. You know, a couple of things here and there and these trials could be a different outcome.

Sandate: I’ve improved. I know it sounds bad but losing is a good thing. I lost to the Pablo guy and I’m going to learn from that so when I go in there and fight him again, it’s going to be something different. I lost to Melik, gassed out, this time I won’t get gassed out, I’ll be in shape and be able to fight all three rounds.

Standing-8: I thank you for giving me this opportunity, and I wish you the best of luck. I look at you still being in high school and how cool that would be. Best of luck to you.

Sandate: No, thank you, thank you, I appreciate it.

The “elder” competitors in the 108 pound division would be wise not to sleep on Sandate. His mindset of how he will approach the trials and his explanation of what he learned from his losses indicates that his ring I.Q. may be a bit above what to expect from a fighter his age.  No doubt a credit to his coaches, his father and Shann Villauer.

Sandate is a dangerous opponent, in that he’s not, even by his own admission, one of the three favorites in the division. A fighter with nothing to lose and so much to gain.  

If youth is served and Sandate wins the field, maybe he’ll get that pep rally after all and a proper send off to the road to Rio.  

Denver’s Melik Elliston Ready To Earn His Right To Make A Run At Olympic Gold

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Under the watchful eye and wise guidance of his father Everette, Melik Elliston is destroying his training session on a cool night in Denver at Delgado’s Gym.

Be it mitt or bag work, the twenty-one year old native of the mile high city listens carefully to his coach and effectively executes the instruction given. These are the moments that are putting the final touches on the next step in his journey, the Olympic Trials in Reno, Nevada, December 7-12.

On January 24th in Spokane, Washington, Elliston was impressive in defeating Texas’ Pablo Ramirez by unanimous decision and winning the USA Boxing Elite National Championships. The win earned Elliston a slot in the Reno trials. If successful in winning the 108 pound class at the trials, Elliston will represent the US in Rio de Janeiro at the 2016 summer games.

I had an opportunity to sit down with Melik this past week and talk about his journey, his relationship with his father/coach, and the lessons learned from the late great Ron Lyle.

Standing-8: So, your dad is your coach, how long has he coached you, since the beginning?

Elliston:   Since the beginning, yes, he didn’t box or anything, he knew martial arts, he knew the basics, I boxed with Ron Lyle.. at the Salvation Army, I wasn’t really learning anything at first, that’s when my dad stepped in and he was learning as well as I was learning. I think like my second year of boxing. My first fight, I was eleven years old, my dad was in the ring when I fought.

Standing-8:  Family comes first and you have a real strong foundation, talk to me a little about the father-son, fighter-coach relationship.

Elliston: It’s always good, he got me to where I am at right now, I mean you know, sometimes it’s rough waking me up at five in the morning, “hey get up go run, come on go do this, go hit the bag” before he has to go to work and when I was in school wake me up at five to go work out. It’s a blessing to have my father as a father and a coach to be able to provide what he does.

Standing-8: You talked a little bit about Ron Lyle, your time with Lyle, what did you take away from those experiences with Ron Lyle, did he mentor you in the game?

Elliston: You know he is an old school fighter, he taught my father a lot of stuff, we got a lot of old school techniques. His words were powerful when we were in the ring. “If your hands ain’t moving, your head and your feet are moving” That’s eight years ago and it’s still stuck with me.

Standing-8: Getting back to the USA Nationals, what were some of the lessons you learned from that journey, from winning the USA Nationals that will prepare you now for these trials, what can you draw from those experiences?

Elliston: A lot is how the judges do the judging. They like the more busier…the person who looks like their controlling the fight all three rounds. That is a big thing I learned of how they will be judging. You cant pot-shot, you cant just one-two punches, you have to one-two punch and then go in with a combination, five or more punches just to keep going forward. That’s a big thing I learned from fighting there.

Standing-8: Tell me how your training has been going into Reno getting ready for the trials and how your mind set is.

Elliston: I’ve been training hard, been real focused. My mindsets been on this, thinking of this. I don’t do nothing. I started my camp a month earlier than I usually do for tournaments. Getting my head right, my diet right. I wish I would have done this a while ago, starting earlier cutting this weight and just getting focused, like now I have no doubt in my mind that I shouldn’t come out with this gold medal and be on the Olympic Team. My mindset is real strong, and training as well.

Standing-8: What would it mean to you to win the trials, be on your way to Rio and be representing the United States on that Olympic Team and going towards your dream of getting that gold?

Elliston: It would mean a lot, this is the first step in my dream, winning this, to call myself an Olympian for the USA. It’s all I’ve been fighting for, all this time, ten years of my life in boxing, I’ve been preparing for this, me and my father preparing for this moment. Winning this would definitely be amazing. Winning the gold medal, that’s my main goal right there.

Standing-8: Has that been your goal since you started at age eleven?

Elliston: I would say not at eleven. When I was young I was just boxing, I didn’t have any dreams or goals, my goal was to get a trophy. A couple years after that once I started being in the foundation of boxing and learning more, that’s what I wanted my dream to be. I set my dream high and that was to become an Olympian. 

Standing-8: That was a good segue, you said set your dreams high, become an Olympian, winning the gold and you spoke earlier about how that was going to set you up for future goals. So after the Olympics, we’re talking down the road, not to lesson the journey here but is the goal to become a pro and if so, what’s your thoughts about that long term goal and what division do you feel you’d be suited for in the pro game?

Elliston: After I win the gold medal, I’m definitely, definitely going to turn pro. My goal in the pros is to win titles, since I’m little, I think I’ll fight no higher than 125 pounds. So, I’m going to fight around that weight class.

Standing-8: Those weight classes have been exploding here lately, a lot of talent in those weight classes and they’re finally starting to get the coverage and some big headlining fights. Who are some of the fighters that you like? That you followed, that you really like the style and do you emulate your style after anyone in particular?

Elliston: First, my favorite fighter is Roy Jones Jr. That’s mostly who I studied, his defense, that’s what I like, and Mayweather and now Rigondeaux. Fighters like that, fast, beautiful movement and defense and being able to come off of their defense and score and attack. That’s the styles I like. Boxing’s an art. It’s a chess game in the ring, if you’re not playing chess in the ring, you’re not boxing. The smarter fighter always wins.

Standing-8: A multiple run at the Olympic games?

Elliston:  I’m getting older, after this Olympic run, I’m looking to get my pro career going. A Lot of these fighters turn too late. I’m going to be fighting fighters that almost thirty years old. Most of the other countries that are in the Olympics, like when I went to Italy, I fought some dude that was twenty-eight years old. I don’t want to do that and then turn pro, that’s too old. So, 2016 Olympics, I want to turn pro in 2018. After this run, I’m training to get ready for pro.  

Standing-8:  I wish you the best of luck on this journey. I know the City of Denver is going to be pulling for you, the right to have an Olympic Team member going to Rio from the Mile High City, they’ll be backing you every step of the way on to your dream. I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to interview, take some pictures, see a little bit of your camp and best of luck to you.

Elliston: Thank you, I appreciate it too.

Throughout the interview, I observed a young man with poise and confidence beyond his years. It is evident that his strong family foundation has prepared him for this journey. In watching Everette coach Melik, you can’t help but see, not only the respect and unison of a fighter and coach, but also the love and unbreakable bond of a father and son.

I asked Elliston if I had it correct that his nickname was “The Hitman”, he looked at me, smiled,  and then said, “No, I have a new nickname now……”Tha One”

No better mindset to have going into the biggest opportunity of his life.