Air Force Academy
National Championships
Boxers Win National Title
4/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
April 6, 2003
LAS VEGAS, NV - Air Force successfully defended its National Collegiate Boxing national title Saturday night by winning four of five bouts at the Cox Pavilion on UNLV's campus.
The victory marked the fifth consecutive national title for Air Force, but it didn't come easy. Host UNLV mounted a strong threat at the start of the night, according to head coach Eddie Weichers, Jr.
"UNLV came out swinging as they won their first three bouts. The key for us was our first bout of the night with Thomas Parker going against UNLV's Dave Bermudez, a boxer that Parker defeated earlier in the season," said Weichers.
"Parker was able to derail UNLV's momentum and set the pace for our team in a very hotly contested bout. I am extremely gratified by how our boxers competed throughout this tournament," said Weichers.
The four victories gave Air Force 44 points followed by 32 points apiece by UNLV and Navy. However, UNLV was awarded second place based on winning more gold medals. Fourth place went to Nevada with 12 followed by Lock Haven with 10. A total of sixteen schools were represented in the national tournament.
Joining Parker as national champs were Frankie Woods (147-lbs.), Jake Hostetler (156-lbs.) and Clell Knight (165-lbs.). Leif Nordhagen (175-lbs.) was the lone loss by decision losing to Navy's Amier Shareef.
Here are the complete Air Force results:
139-lbs. - Thomas Parker dec. Dave Bermudez, UNLV
147-lbs. - Frankie Woods dec. Bobby Villanueva, Navy
156-lbs. - Jake Hostetler dec. Rick Weil, Navy
165-lbs. Clell Knight dec. Boyd Melson, Army
175-lbs.Amir Shareef, Navy, dec. Leif Nordhagen
