NJ standouts Malachi Georges, Tyric Trapp compete in Olympic trials
Four New Jersey boxers will compete for a chance to keep their dreams alive of competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Malachi Georges (203 pounds), Tyric Trapp (176 pounds), Zaquin Moses (125 pounds) and Lia Lewandowski (119 pounds women) are all slated for action at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which runs from Monday, December 4 through Saturday, December 9 at the CajunDome in Lafayette, La.
All three men will be in action on opening day, while the lone woman will see action on Tuesday.
Georges, the no. 3 seed at 203 pounds, will face Ali Monaghan of Iowa in the opening day session. Georges, 20, of Teaneck, N.J. qualified for the trials by winning the National Golden Gloves earlier this year. A tournament win would put Georges in contention with another New Jersey boxer, Jamar Talley of Camden, for the Team USA spot which is still up for grabs at the World Qualifiers in March and May.
Trapp, 23, of Tinton Falls, N.J. will face Isaiah Carr of North Carolina in his opening bout. Trapp, who is the son of 1991 Olympic Festival boxer Denard Trapp, qualified for the trials by winning gold at the 2023 USA Boxing Summer Festival tournament. Prior to that, Trapp earned bronze at the 2023 National Golden Gloves.
At stake in his bracket is the chance to overtake the Team USA spot currently held by 2021 World Champion Robby Gonzalez.
Among the other boxers he’d have to compete against are Sean O’Bradaigh, the New Yorker who Trapp has split bouts with. Trapp beat him in their first bout last June at the Summer Festival but O’Bradaigh avenged that loss a month later en route to his win at the New York Boxing Tournament.
Moses, 18, of Newark will face Joel Hernandez of Washington in his opening bout. Moses, a cousin of current WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson, qualified for the trials by winning the Last Chance Qualifier in September. A win on Monday leads to a showdown on Wednesday with the no. 1 seed in the tournament, Isaias Estevan Navarro of California.
The winner will become the alternate to Jahmal Harvey, who qualified for the Olympics by winning gold at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Lewandowski, 25, of Berlin, N.J. will face Chantel Navarro in the women’s 119-pound opening round on Tuesday evening, with the no. 1 seed Yoseline Perez of Texas, the 2022 Youth world champion, waiting for the winner on Thursday.
Tickets for the events can be purchased daily for $10 per day or $50 for a week pass, with tickets for Saturday’s finals available for $25.