Light welterweight Dedrick Crocklem (Tacoma, Wash.) made a strong statement in his opening bout against Tran Minh Tri Pham of Vietnam with his RSC decision victory in La Nucia, Spain.
Crocklem came out strong in the first round, controlling the fight to take all five judges’ cards at the end of the round, including one judge scoring the round 10-8. The American picked up the pace landing numerous combinations and body shots against his opponent to extend his lead after all five judges scored the round 10-8.
Crocklem, who was making his international debut in this bout, wasted no time in the third round, giving his Pham a standing eight count 30 seconds into the round and a second standing eight count 30 seconds later. Pham could not recover from the overpowering American resulting the referee to stop with 1:46 left in the final round.
“I am feeling good,” stated Crocklem following his fight. “This is my first time fighting over seas fight against a good opponent. I pushed the pace, listened to my coaches and got the victory out.”
The light welterweight will have a day of rest before returning to the ring on Thursday for a matchup against the Philippine’s Mark Fajardo.
The second day of boxing will see featherweights Cornellio Phipps (Oxford, Pa.) and Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) take to the ring. Phipps faces Bolivia’s Sebastian Daza Gutierrez in the day’s first session, while Perez goes head-to-head against Aysu Devrishova of Azerbaijan during the second session.
USA Boxing National Developmental Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is leading the team during these championships, with assistant coaches Gilberto Garza (San Antonio, Texas), Blanca Gutierrez (Pacifica, Calif.) and Richard Stephenson (Middletown, N.Y.), as well as USA Boxing Strength and Conditioning Fellow Gillian Brennan (Overland Park, Kan.).
593 boxers from 73 different countries have traveled to La Nucia, Spain to compete for one of 25 world titles up for grabs. Competition will run until Saturday, Nov. 26