Semifinal battles breed fierce competition.
And so it was Friday night at the Salt Palace as the National Golden Gloves boxing tournament kicked it up a notch and saw the two remaining Utah fighters knocked out of the competition, as well as one defending national champion.
Utah's Jose Haro Jr. saw his winning streak come to an end against Toka Kahn from New England in the 125-pound weight class.
Haro was very upset about the outcome and said, "In my heart, I thought I won."
He apologized to his fans, his family and the state of Utah.
"I felt like I let my state down," Haro said.
He acknowledged that Kahn's left-handed approach may have thrown him off a little, but Haro said he still had every confidence that he was going to win.
In the 178-pound weight class, Utah's Alejandro Canez met defeat at the hands of Jeffrey Spencer of the Colorado-New Mexico team.
"I thought it was a close fight," said Canez, who pointed out that his opponent was nationally ranked. "I thought I hurt him more than he hurt me."
The judges didn't see it that way, rendering a 3-2 decision. Canez said he may have been too cautious.
"He was pretty defensive," Canez said. "and I thought he might counter punch," explaining why he wasn't more aggressive.
In other bouts, Jesus Magdaleno from Las Vegas knocked off Michigan's Ernesto Garza, the defending champion in the 119-pound weight class.
"My plan was to keep him on the move," Magdaleno said. "I am a very strong offensive fighter, but he can really take a punch. I give him a lot of respect."
Garza is expected to have a successful professional career.
At 17 years old, Magdaleno is not yet thinking about a pro career but has his sights on the Olympics and a successful run there before launching out into the professional boxing world.
But that is the element that makes the Golden Gloves so appealing. Anyone can win on any given night. Several other fighters who lost are expected to do well professionally, including Tracy Rollins out of Chicago.
In the 201-plus weight class, Kansas City's Lenroy Thompson landed a couple of body blows on James Shorter of Toledo and the referee called the fight on account of broken or bruised ribs.
On Thursday night, Thompson was knocked totally out of the ring when it collapsed but still went on to win. He is ranked No. 1 one in the country but has no intentions of going pro if he wins the national title tonight.
"I just love this sport," Thompson said. "It's not about the money."
Golden Gloves Executive Director Jim Beasley has been more than pleased with tournament operations up to this point. He had great confidence in the Fullmers — a Utah family with a long, successful history in the fight game — and their knowledge of the sport.
The finals are set for tonight at 7 at the Salt Palace.
E-mail: wjewkes@desnews.com