Claressa Shields vs. Andrecia Wasson in all-Michigan match at boxing Olympic trials tonight
A day after scoring a stunning upset of top-ranked Franchon Crews, middleweight Claressa Shields of Flint knows she'll be in for a battle in the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic women's boxing trials tonight.
Shields' opponent? Look no further than 2010 women's world welterweight champion Andrecia Wasson of Center Line, whom Shields defeated last fall in Toledo to win the National PAL Championships.
The PAL event was Shields' first open division tournament since becoming age-eligible. At 16, she's the youngest boxer in the Olympic trials this week at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway Heights, Wash.
The event isn't being televised, but bouts can be watched on the Web via live stream on Universal Sports, starting at 10 p.m. Detroit time.
"I know she'll be gunning for me," Shields said by phone this afternoon from Washington. "All I have to do is listen to my coach, and I got her."
Shields and Wasson were big winners in their opening quarterfinal bouts Monday night. Shields defeated Crews, 31-19, while Wasson handed Dara Shen a 34-9 defeat.
Latonya (King) Wingate of Harrison Township lost her first flyweight match to Tyrieshia Douglas (34-11) and dropped into the challengers bracket. Wingate must beat Virgina Fuchs tonight to keep her Olympic hopes alive in the double-elimination tournament.
Mikaela Mayer of Los Angeles -- a former fighter at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan until last summer, when the boxing program was suspended -- defeated Lisa Porter in her quarterfinal bout in the lightweight division. She'll face Seattle native and top-rated Queen Underwood in tonight's semifinals.
Mayer is coached by former longtime USOEC boxing coach Al Mitchell. He said today that he has been training Mayer in Marquette and in China, where he also has been coaching the Chinese men's and women's boxing teams.
"I told her not to think about Queen being No. 1," Mitchell said. "She has to think of her as just another boxer, like a sparring partner."
Jason Crutchfield, who coaches Shields at the Bertson gym in Flint, said his boxer beat Crews -- a four-time U.S. champion -- in their opening bout in part because Shields was the aggressor. "We caught her by surprise," Crutchfield said.
Sergio Garcia, who trains Wasson at the Warriors Boxing Club in Detroit, said he and his fighter have a plan for how to beat Shields. He also has a prediction.
"The winner of this fight tonight is going to be the champion," he said. "They are the top two fighters in the whole tournament."
The U.S. Olympic women's boxing trials are the sole domestic qualifier for the London Games, which will feature the Olympic debut of boxing for women in three weight classes: flyweight (112 pounds), lightweight (132) and middleweight (165).
But the road to London won't get any easier. The trials champions in each of the three weight divisions will move on to the world championships this spring in China, where they will need to place in the top eight to earn berths in the 2012 Olympics.
Shields' opponent? Look no further than 2010 women's world welterweight champion Andrecia Wasson of Center Line, whom Shields defeated last fall in Toledo to win the National PAL Championships.
The PAL event was Shields' first open division tournament since becoming age-eligible. At 16, she's the youngest boxer in the Olympic trials this week at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway Heights, Wash.
The event isn't being televised, but bouts can be watched on the Web via live stream on Universal Sports, starting at 10 p.m. Detroit time.
"I know she'll be gunning for me," Shields said by phone this afternoon from Washington. "All I have to do is listen to my coach, and I got her."
Shields and Wasson were big winners in their opening quarterfinal bouts Monday night. Shields defeated Crews, 31-19, while Wasson handed Dara Shen a 34-9 defeat.
Latonya (King) Wingate of Harrison Township lost her first flyweight match to Tyrieshia Douglas (34-11) and dropped into the challengers bracket. Wingate must beat Virgina Fuchs tonight to keep her Olympic hopes alive in the double-elimination tournament.
Mikaela Mayer of Los Angeles -- a former fighter at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan until last summer, when the boxing program was suspended -- defeated Lisa Porter in her quarterfinal bout in the lightweight division. She'll face Seattle native and top-rated Queen Underwood in tonight's semifinals.
Mayer is coached by former longtime USOEC boxing coach Al Mitchell. He said today that he has been training Mayer in Marquette and in China, where he also has been coaching the Chinese men's and women's boxing teams.
"I told her not to think about Queen being No. 1," Mitchell said. "She has to think of her as just another boxer, like a sparring partner."
Jason Crutchfield, who coaches Shields at the Bertson gym in Flint, said his boxer beat Crews -- a four-time U.S. champion -- in their opening bout in part because Shields was the aggressor. "We caught her by surprise," Crutchfield said.
Sergio Garcia, who trains Wasson at the Warriors Boxing Club in Detroit, said he and his fighter have a plan for how to beat Shields. He also has a prediction.
"The winner of this fight tonight is going to be the champion," he said. "They are the top two fighters in the whole tournament."
The U.S. Olympic women's boxing trials are the sole domestic qualifier for the London Games, which will feature the Olympic debut of boxing for women in three weight classes: flyweight (112 pounds), lightweight (132) and middleweight (165).
But the road to London won't get any easier. The trials champions in each of the three weight divisions will move on to the world championships this spring in China, where they will need to place in the top eight to earn berths in the 2012 Olympics.
