[JCWeb]

Waiting for some of the lower divisions to wrap up, it’s possible to run through a couple of rounds of qualifying to set the field for the next weight division (going up from small to large), which would be the Jr. Lightweights. Total of 115 fighters rated for this division, and the 16 guys rated “9” and above will be exempt from qualifying and also inactive until the first full round of the tournament, which will be the round of 16. There will be 32 additional fighters – 9 rated “8” and above plus 23 from the qualifying – who will compete in the preliminary round of the tournament.

This leaves a total of 90 JLWs rated “7” and below who will be vying through three rounds of qualifying. The first round of qualifying action will see 15 bouts, including all 25 fighters rated “4” and below plus five of the “5”-rated guys. Then, the remaining “5” and “6” rated fighters check in for round two of the qualifying, followed by a final round of qualifying – 23 bouts – that will include the survivors of qualifying round two with 17 fighters rated “7” each of whom received a bye to the final round of qualifying.

So, on to the results from the first qualifying round.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND RESULTS

Ryuhei Sugita (JPN) SD 10 David Santos (USA)
Craig Docherty (UK) TKO 5 Dean Pithie (UK)
Boris Sinitsin (RUS) DQ 9 Johnny Verderosa (USA)
Darryl Pinckney (USA) UD 10 Harold Gomes (USA)
Danny Alicea (PUR) KO 10 Nobuhiro Honmo (JPN)
Yoshiaki Numata (JPN) UD 10 Yasatune Uehara (JPN)
Steven Luevano (USA) UD 10 Alfredo Layne (PAN)
Tom Johnson (USA) TKO 4 Jose Estrella (ARG)
Edwin Santana (DOM) MD 10 Anthony Tshehla (SAF)
Harold Warren (USA) UD 10 Lamont Pearson (USA)
Justin Juuko (UGA) TKO 5 Isidro Tejedor (COL)
Ali Funeka (SAF) UD 10 Keith Manabe (JPN)
Aaron Zarate (MEX) TKO 3 Carl Greaves (UK)
Mike Juarez (USA) KO 9 Kuniaki Shibata (JPN)
Juan Herrera (ARG) MD 10 Walter Seeley (USA)

Comments: Only two “1” rated boxers in the field, and two of them came through, Pinckey with a decision win over Gomes (a “2), and Juarez with a KO of the only other “1” rated guy. Only one of the five “5” rated guys lost: Manabe, to a fellow 5 (Funeka). Tough draw for guys like Johnny “The Heat” Verderosa, David Santos and Lamont Pearson, who might have been expected to go further. In one oddity, 14 of the 15 bouts were won by fighters from the blue corner, a rather weird coincidence.

Anyway, no draws and no need for rematches, so it’s on to the second round of qualifying before the inevitable hold-up waiting for more results from the lower divisions for guys in multiple weight classes yet to be eliminated there.