This past Saturday night, Cleveland’s Terrell Gausha walked away from the 2012 National USA Boxing Tournament as the #1 ranked amateur boxer in the country at 165lbs. Terrell battled through six tough bouts with the top challengers from around the country over the course of a week. He met 2011 Champion, Jesse Hart in the finals, where he won a double tie-breaker split decision victory. This is Gausha’s second National Championship after winning it against Hart in 2009. He will continue on to competition in Brazil where he has a chance to earn a spot on the 2012 Olympic Team!
Cleveland’s Raynell Williams (132-male) and Cashmere Jackson (141-female) are now ranked #2 in the country at their respective divisions. Terrell and Cashmere were joined in Fort Carson, Colorado by their long-time coach, Renard Safo. Both athletes have spent their entire amateur careers training under coach Safo at East Cleveland’s MLK Rec Center along with past national champions, such as Yaundale Evans, Prenice Brewer, and Willie Nelson. It isn’t commonly known that the Lake Erie Boxing Association (Northeast Ohio’s Amateur Boxing Commission) is one of the smallest amateur boxing regions in the country. Many other regions span entire states and include far greater populations, yet Northeast Ohio always seems to show up among the best in National competition. This is a testament to the strong grass-roots boxing culture embedded in this area and the great people that continue the tradition!

Congratulations to Terrell, Raynell, and Cashmere!