MARINE TEAM CRUSHES ARMED FORCES BOXING PRELIMINARIES ON DAY 2
Story and photos by MC2 Elliott  Fabrizio MCB Camp Pendleton, CA   

The preliminaries of the 2012 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are complete, and the Marine Corps team takes six fighters to the finals on Feb. 3. 

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. is hosting the Armed Forces Sports event this year.

Olympic hopeful and 2011 Armed Forces gold medalist, Marine Sgt. Jamel Herring set the tone for the Corps, falling back on his 11 years of boxing experience to stick-and-move circles around Army Pfc. Maximino Ramos for a 22-3 win. Herring represents the corps in the 141lb. weight class. 

Lance Cpl. Jonathan Steele, inflamed the crowd when he turned on the gas in the second round and pummeled Army Spc. Sidney Williams into submission for a win by referee stopped contest.

When asked what changed the tone of the fight, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Steele (blue) looks on as Army Spc. Sidney Williams is declared unable to continue fighting.   Steele said, “He winked at me.”


Steele did not like that.  Steele fights in the 152lb. weight class.

Lance Cpl. Felix Magallanez battered through Senior Airman Daniel Logan’s guard for a 14-10 victory. Both fighters are returning competitors from last year’s championship.

Magallanez dropped a weight class from last year and now fights in 165lb. 

Marine Cpl. Tommy Roque, served up combos in devastating volleys to Navy Constructionman DeAngelo Davies and was quick to slip back out of Davies’ reach, winning by referee stopped contest in the second round. Roque fights in the 132lb. weight class.  

The Marines took two losses.

Lance Cpl. Jesus Toro slugged it out with Airman 1st Class Kenneth DeJesus Cruz, but couldn’t get ahead, losing 32-17.  Toro fights in the 123lb. weight class. 

Marine Cpl. Darnell Price, got locked into a shoving match with Senior Airman Kent Brinson and both kept too close on each other to score clean punches. Brinson snuck ahead in points, winning 4-3.  Price fights in the 201lb. weight class. 

In the current standings the Marines are tied with the Army, but the outcome of the finals will determine if the Marine Corps Boxing Team can take the team award for the first time in more than ten years.The Pentagon Channel is capturing all the action from the championship and the 2012 boxing series will premier March 9.