Four local boxers advance to USA national quarterfinals

It was a tough Wednesday for local boxers at the USA Boxing national championships, as only four of nine fighters advanced to today's quarterfinals Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Las Vegas super heavyweights Brett Rather and Zachary Bunce advanced, with Rather defeating Marc Ward of Euclid, Ohio, 15-8, and Bunce beating Cameron Glenn of Wyoming, Mich., 10-4. In the heavyweight division, Las Vegas' Michael Hunter advanced to the quarterfinals with a first-round stoppage of Clinton Nelson of Redwood City, Calif. Hasim Rahma Jr. also advanced in the 201-pound division, beating Smbat Bagdassarian of Burbank, Calif., 21-10.

But for the other Las Vegans, Wednesday was the end of the line. In the 123-pound division, Sergio Lopez lost to Herkin de la Rosa of Union City, N.J., 25-18, and Francisco Esparza and Mario Esparza were eliminated in their 132-pound bouts. Francisco Esparza lost 32-13 to Gary Antonio Russell of Capitol Heights, Md., and Mario Esparza fell to Kenneth Sims Jr. of Chicago, 24-13.

In the 165-pound division, Kevin Newman and Xavier Hayden lost, Newman falling to Russell Gaskins of Washington, D.C., 13-12, and Hayden losing to Izaak Cardona of Colorado Springs, Colo., 13-9.