BOXING : Local Fighters Post Wins in National Golden Gloves

A pair of surprising teen-agers from Los Angeles continued to surprise the field at the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions here Friday night.

Salvador Jasso, 17, a sophomore at Roosevelt High, and Carlos Navarro, 16, won their semifinal bouts and advanced to the finals in the first national appearance for both fighters. In the 132-pound division, Jasso took a decision from Anthony Christodoulou of Syracuse, N.Y., ranked No. 3 by USA Boxing, and Navarro outpointed Washington, D.C.’s Anthony Wilson in the 112-pound class.

Throughout the fight, Jasso used a three-punch combination to tie up Christodoulou--a left jab, right cross and left hook. He was also deadly when backed against the ropes.

“I came in prepared,” Jasso said. “I thought I was. But I didn’t know I’d have to fight against the No. 3.”

The fighters battled to an apparent draw in the first round, but Jasso began piling up points in the second and third rounds.

“The second and third I took very easily,” Jasso said, but he admitted the fight was his toughest so far.

Jasso faced national champion Danny Baiza-Rios, ranked No. 4, on Saturday. Baiza-Rios is a member of Mid-South Golden Gloves.

For Navarro, revenge sweetened his first trip to the finals.

“(Wilson) beat me in Colorado (at the Amateur Boxing Federation Championships) by one point,” said Navarro. “This is the rematch and I just won it.”

Navarro said the fight was his most difficult of the tournament and admitted he was pleasantly surprised to be in the finals.

Southern California tournament director Johnny Flores was not quite as surprised. “This kid has had a lot of fights in the juniors,” he said.

In the first round Friday night, Navarro stalked Wilson patiently, but took several one-twos to the head. “After that, I tied him up more and threw more punches,” Navarro said.

Navarro tagged Wilson with a right, then Wilson grabbed him and was cautioned for holding. They mixed it up in the center and Navarro was cautioned for hitting below the belt.

Navarro tried to duck a Wilson right in the second and caught a left to the head, but he seemed unhurt.

The referee stopped action so Wilson’s cornermen could relace his boot, and the bout resumed with the two exchanging left-right combinations.

In the third, the fighters swapped jabs and Wilson drew a caution for hitting low. Wilson then went on the attack and pushed his opponent to the ropes, where Navarro has been deadly throughout the tournament. While cornered, Navarro landed several crosses and hooks. The fight ended with the two at center ring, still battling.

Jasso drew a bye to open the tournament and outpointed Tony Mestas, of Colorado/New Mexico, in the second round. In the tournament’s third round on Thursday, Jasso survived a tough bout with speedy James Crayton of Nevada. Jasso had trouble landing punches against the quick Crayton.

“Yeah, he was strong,” Jasso said of Crayton. “But mainly he ran a lot . . . I couldn’t get clean shots.”

Navarro beat Chicago’s Jesus Gonzalez in the tournament’s opening night, then left no doubt in his decision over New England’s Jason Pires.

In the second round against Pires, the left-handed Navarro-- ranked No. 7 by USA Boxing-- threw a fierce combination and knocked out Pires’ mouthpiece with a straight left. Like Jasso, Navarro was more elusive than his opponent and made Pires miss his overhand punches.

In his third-round fight with the Mid-South’s LaRon Samuel, a national semifinalist last year, Navarro made every punch count, especially when Samuel cornered him in the first round and backed him to the ropes in the third.

Navarro put up a furious volley of punches in both situations and Samuel was unable to cash in with any serious scoring blows.

Southern Californians Salvador Casillas, 106 pounds, and Rafael Gutierrez, were eliminated in the tournament’s opening night.