Eastern elite qualifier and youth boxing finals tonight

The hard work is done for the elite boxers, ages 19 and above, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be serious tonight at the Chattanooga Conventon Center.

They earned spots at the USA Boxing national tournament Dec. 3-9 in Salt Lake City with semifinal victories Friday in the Eastern Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships, so tonight is for the honor bestowed on champions. The pressure may be off but pride still is very much on.

Boxing begins tonight at 7 with doors opening at 5, and general admission costs $10 with ringside seats available for $20. This is the first time all week there has been a charge to watch, while the participants have been whittled from about 650 (out of 820 who registered). The event has used four rings in the previous sessions but will be down to two tonight.

Champions in the youth male division (ages 17-18) also will be crowned tonight.

Fifteen champs in the junior division (ages 15-16) were determined Friday afternoon. Chattanooga’s Georral Adams from the YCAP program was the 90-pound runner-up.

Winners in the younger divisions, along with all female categories other than elite, were decided earlier in the week.

The three past youth world champions in the elite field all made it to the finals with 5-0 wins: Delante “Tiger” Johnson of Cleveland, Ohio, at 141 pounds; Marc Castro of Fresno, Calif., at 123; and Jajaira Gonzalez of Fountain, Colo., on the female side at 132.

Johnson, who competed on the USA elite team in Germany in late August, will face Jeremy Hill of New Orleans tonight, when Castro will take on Raymond Ford of Sickleville, N.Y., and Gonzalez will meet Lupe Gutierrez of Sacramento, Calif. Gutierrez and Ford also won 5-0 on Friday; Hill prevailed 4-2.

Other male elite finalists include Timothy Jarman of St. Louis at 108; Charles Williams of Colorado Springs and Saleto Henderson of Indianapolis at 114; Keyshawn Davis of Norfolk, Va., and Kevin Montano of Concord, Calif., at 132; Sean Charleston of Riverdale, Ga., and Jacquan McElroy of Flint, Mich., at 152; Nikita Abably of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Rahim Gonzalez of Sylmar, Ga., at 165; Khlalil Coe of Jersey City, N.J., and Antwan Jones of Toledo, Ohio, at 178; Marquise Williams of Newburgh, N.Y., and Gaspard Pierre of Miami at 201; and Ramel Clasablanca of Bremerton, Wash., and Leonid Grachev of Boulder, Colo. at 201-plus.

Other female finalists are Jazzelle Bobadilla of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Elimarie Torres of Springfield, Mass., at 106; Indeya Smith of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Maryqueen Vellinga of Park City, Utah, at 112; Mikiah Krepes of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Mariana Gonzalez of Sunnyvale, Calif., at 119; Clarice Morales of Toledo and Nephateria Miller of New Haven, Conn., at 125; Destiny Jones of Austin, Texas, and Nargis Shaghasi of San Ramon, Calif., at 141; and Oshae Jones of Toledo at 152.

Winners in Utah will be on the 2018 United States team.