(HARVEY, ILL.) – Three U.S. boxers grabbed wins at the 2005 USA vs. Azerbaijan Dual on December 3 at the Harvey Boxing Club in Harvey, Ill. The U.S. team faced a tough test in Azerbaijan’s World Championships team, which included three medalists.
Light welterweight Willie Nelson (Cleveland, Ohio) grabbed the first win for team USA in his contest with 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Emil Maharramov of Azerbaijan. Nelson came in fresh off a first round stoppage in England only week earlier and he continued his success in Harvey. The tall boxer came out strong in the first round of his bout, taking control of the contest early on. He held an 8-5 lead at the end of one and built on his advantage as the rounds wore on. He took a 20-12 lead into the final round and despite a heavy onslaught went on to win a convincing 26-17 decision over the World Championships bronze medallist.
The United States Army’s Christopher Downs (Fort Carson, Colo.) was the second U.S. boxer to take home a win. Downs battled Anar Mirzoev of Azerbaijan in a light heavyweight (178 lbs) contest. Downs came into the ring inspired and took over from the opening bell. Chants of U-S-A broke out as Downs moved out to a 10-3 lead after one round. Downs continued his domination in the second round, dropping Mirzoev to the canvas and bringing the crowd to its feet. He moved out to a 21-7 after two rounds and extended his advantage to 29-14 after the third. Mirzoev came out swinging in the final round but Downs withstood the onslaught to win a 34-23 final decision.
Super heavyweight (201+ lbs) Travis Kauffman (Reading, Pa.) finished off the evening, battling Vugar Alakbarov of Azerbaijan. Kauffman opened the bout in strong fashion, taking the early lead and holding it through the first two rounds. Kauffman relinquished the advantage in the third round as the bout grew sloppy. After the referee took a point from Alakbarov in the final three seconds, the bout was deadlocked at 19. Kauffman landed the winning shot in the final seconds to earn a 20-19 victory and close the night on a positive note.
Light flyweight Roberto Ceron (Doraville, Ga.); bantamweight David Clark (San Diego, Calif./NMU); featherweight Jessie Carradine (Cincinnati, Ohio); lightweight Prenice Brewer (Cleveland, Ohio); welterweight Greg Carter (Waterbury, Conn./NMU); middleweight Dennis Hasson (Philadelphia, Pa./NMU) and heavyweight Eric Fields (Ardmore, Okla.) all dropped their bouts. The event was the final international competition for the United States.
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