Brewer tops Guillermo for
125-pound championship

The boxer from Waianae drops
to 53-8 after falling in the Golden
Gloves tournament final

After so many years of winning, Samson Guillermo has learned how to lose.

Guillermo, of Waianae, lost to Prenice Brewer of Cleveland in the 125-pound finals of the National Golden Gloves championship at Little Rock, Ark.

"You just have to move forward," Guillermo said. "Pre stepped up to the occasion and made it his fight. Good one for him."

Guillermo wanted to take the fight inside to the taller Brewer, but allowed the young champion to tie him up every time he got in position to do his body work. Brewer, 17, made the 22-year-old Guillermo miss on the rare occasions when Guillermo was able to get off a shot, then kept his distance and peppered Guillermo with an effective jab. It was enough to score a 4-1 decision.

"He was tall, using his height and his distance," Guillermo said. "My coach was telling me to stay in the pocket and I would do it, but he would grab me and hold me until I got out of there."

Brewer was the first fighter to give Guillermo trouble in the tournament. Guillermo, 22, defeated all three of his opponents by 5-0 scores on his way to the final, while Brewer didn't shut out anyone and survived two 3-2 decisions.

Guillermo dropped to 53-8 but added a Golden Gloves silver medal to his 2003 national championship.

It will be Guillermo's last fight for a while, as the phenom returns home for the summer on Tuesday. After that, he will have to decide if he wants to stay in the amateur ranks for a shot at the 2008 Olympics, turn pro or get a job in the real world. Guillermo studies Electronic Imaging at Northern Michigan and considers boxing to be only the vehicle to get him there.

"I'm going to take a break and we'll see from there," Guillermo said. "I don't think I am going to hang them up yet. It's getting harder and harder to make that sacrifice."