Nine local boxers win at nationals

It was a super Tuesday for local fighters at the USA Boxing national championships as nine Las Vegans, led by Michael Hunter and Brett Rather, advanced in the single-elimination tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Hunter and Rather, who are in a last-chance attempt to make the U.S. Olympic team and need to win this week to keep their dream alive, received first-round byes, and both fighters looked impressive in advancing to today's third round.

Hunter stopped Gabriel Yellow Owl of Wyoming in the first round of his 201-pound bout, and Rather, competing at super heavyweight, won by second-round stoppage in defeating Florida's Emin Perry. Las Vegas' Zachary Bunce also advanced in the super heavyweight division, stopping Jonathan Guidry of Louisiana in the second round.

Six other Las Vegans advanced to the third round. Sergio Lopez defeated Louisiana's Keithlen Franklin 22-15 at 123 pounds; Francisco Esparza beat New York's Marcos Suarez 21-16 and Mario Esparza beat Ohio's Mario Gonzalez 22-19, both at 132 pounds; Kevin Newman stopped North Carolina's Felix Magallanes in the second round and Xavier Hayden beat California's George Newkirk 9-8, both at 165 pounds; and Hasim Rahman Jr. stopped Arizona's Keith Busch in the first round of a 201-pound bout.

In the 141-pound division, Henderson's Bronson Stultz lost his second-round bout 25-10 to Ohio's Robert Easter. Stultz had defeated Texas' Derrick Williams by walkover in his first bout.