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                         April 12, 2002

Army boxers crowned All-Americans

By Capt. Chris Hart
Army Boxing Coach

A young Army Boxing team sent an academy-record seven boxers to the National Collegiate Boxing Association’s National in Annapolis, Md., April 4-7.

Five of the seven are underclassmen and have a chance to return next year.

Freshman 119-pounder Ray Ramos, junior 165-pounder Boyd Melson and sophomore 185-pounder Duane Mantle and classmate 195-pounder Bobby Greer were crowned All-Americans as a result of making it to the semi-final round of competition.

Junior 132-pounder Fred Kim, senior 175-pounder Tom Summers and senior heavyweight Darwin Maull lost opening round bouts. Both Kim and Maull lost heart-breaking split decisions that could have gone either way.

Ramos lost to a more experienced senior and eventual national champion, Lyndon Manalpou from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the semi-finals, while the others won their semi-final bouts.

Melson, last year’s national champion at 165, lost a close battle in this year’s final to Joe Harding of Air Force.

Mantle, in his first year of boxing, surprised many by cruising through the preliminary rounds. In the final he was pitted against Navy senior defending national champion Ben Zuber. The Mids’ experience and power proved too much for Mantle.

In the 195-pound final, Greer, another newcomer lost to two-time defending champion Dustin Brown, a senior from Air Force.

The team championship went to Air Force, with Navy second and UNLV third. Army matched their 2001 team finish, their best since 1989, with a fifth-place showing.