Beat the Streets match previews for Ramos, Metcalf, Miller
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
Brent Metcalf goes for his fifth win at a Beat the Streets event when he battles Cuba in Times Square next week.
Over the next few days, TheMat.com will be taking a little closer look at each of the Beat the Streets “Salsa in the Square” matchups that will occur in Times Square on Thursday, May 21. Each of these previews will feature a biography of the wrestlers, as well as previous meetings on the mat.
We continue the previews today with U.S. men’s freestyle stars Tony Ramos and Brent Metcalf as well as women’s freestyle star Randi Miller, along with their opponents in Times Square.
Men’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Tony Ramos (USA) vs. Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
This is a battle between a pair of wrestlers ranked in the world by United World Wrestling. It is also rematch from the 2015 Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles in April, where Bonne secured a pin in the final few seconds of the bout. The score does not tell the story of this match. It was very close until Bonne was able to lock up a cradle at the end.
Bonne is currently ranked No. 3 at 61 kg, because that was the weight that he won his World bronze medal last summer in Uzbekistan. That has been his weight class going back many years. The World Cup was his first time down to this weight, and Beat the Streets will be his second time. He is very big at this weight. However, Ramos also came down in weight after his college career, so both are large and strong at 61 kg.
Bonne has been successful against American opponents. At the 2015 Cerro Pelado International, he beat Joey McKenna 18-6. He beat Shawn Bunch in the 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier, 1-1, 6-0 and earlier that year beat Troy Nickerson at the Pan Am Championships, 2-0, 1-1. Go back to 2011 Cerro Pelado International, and he has a win over Nick Simmons, 5-0, 6-0.
Ramos has shown continued improvement since he won the World Team Trials in Madison last year and inserted himself onto the international scene. He has had close matches against some very tough opponents, including a 5-5 loss to World champion Hassan Rahimi of Iran at the World Cup. Ramos is fearless and very confident, and wrestles well with the spotlight on him. Case in point was his last second win at the U.S. Open against Andrew Hochstrasser. This will be chance for Ramos to take another step forward in his career.
Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 3 at 61 kg
Third in 2014 World Championship… 2012 Olympian… 2014 Granma Cup champion (Cuba)…2005 & 2012 Pan American champion…2012 Cerro Pelado International champion (Cuba)…2002 Junior Pan American champion (Freestyle)…2002 Junior Pan American Champion (Greco-Roman)… Second in 2012 Canada Cup…Third in 2013 Cerro Pelado International… Third in 2011 Pan American Games…Born November 2, 1983…Age 31
Tony Ramos, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 13
2015 U.S. Open champion… 2014 U.S. World Team member… 2014 World Team Trials champion… 2015 Grand Prix of Paris champion… 2014 Canada Cup champion… 2011 Junior World Team member… Fifth in 2009 Junior World Championships… 2014 NCAA champion for Iowa… Second in 2013 NCAA Championships… Third in 2012 NCAA Championships… Three-time Illinois state champion for Glenbard North High School… Born: February 12, 1991… Age: 24
Previous Matchups
2014 Freestyle World Cup – Bonne pin Ramos, 4:57
Men’s freestyle 65 kg/143 lbs. – Brent Metcalf (USA) vs. Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)
Brent Metcalf is having his best international wrestling season to date, and comes into the Beat the Streets event off a victory at the U.S. Open in a loaded field. He has already wrestled Maren this season, beating him 7-2 at the World Cup in Los Angeles in April. Metcalf led 1-0 at the break and extended his lead in the second period by keeping pressure on Maren and winning the key positions.
Metcalf hadn’t met a Cuban in many years, going back to a loss to Geandry Garzon at the 2011 Cerro Pelado in Cuba, 0-1, 0-4. Maren has run into a number of Americans in recent seasons. He lost to young star Aaron Pico of the USA in the second round at the 2015 Granma Cup, in a 1-1 criteria match. In the 2014 Cerro Pelado International, he beat American Kellen Russell in the semifinals by technical fall. He also beat American Drew Headlee in the finals at the 2013 Pan American Championships, 3-0, 4-0.
Metcalf has competed at three World Championships and has not won a medal, something which drives him to continue working hard and improving in all areas of his wrestling. He also has an impressive 4-0 record in previous Beat the Streets events. In 2014, he defeated tough Russian Magomed Kurbanaliev, 11-8. Two other wins were over Russians, stopping Soslan Ramanov, 0-2, 1-0, 7-0 in 2013 and Magomedmurad Gadziev, 1-0, 4-1, 4-1 in 2011. He was featured in the Main Event of the 2010 Battle of the Intrepid on the U.S.S. Intrepid aircraft carrier, stopping Bubba Jenkins, 2-0, 6-0. You can expect Metcalf to come after Maren hard in New York, looking to add another win in New York to his resume.
Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)
2014 Granma Cup champion (Cuba)…2013 Pan American champion…Third in 2015 Granma Cup (Cuba)…Third in 2012 and 2013 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Seventh in 2009 World Cup…Born March 9, 1987…Age 27
Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC/Hawkeye WC)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 5
2014 U.S. Open champion… Member of 2010, 2013 and 2014 U.S. World Team… Second in 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials… 2014 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals champion… 2014 and 2015 World Cup champion… Second in 2013 and 2015 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix (Russia)… Second in 2013 World Cup… Third in 2015 Grand Prix of Paris (France)… 2012 Stepan Sargsyan International champion (Armenia)… 2011 Olympic Test Event champion (England)… Second in 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier, qualifying USA for Olympics… Second in 2013 World Cup… Second in 2013 Ivan Yarygin Memorial (Russia)… 2011 Takhti Cup runner-up (Iran)… Second in 2011 U.S. World Team Trials… Third in 2011 and 2013 U.S. Open… Second in 2009 U.S. Open… Fifth in 2008 U.S. Open… Third in 2010 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals (Azerbaijan)… Third in 2009 Pan American Championships… 2008 and 2010 NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa… 2009 NCAA runner-up… 2008 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as nation’s top college wrestler…. 2006 Clansman International champion… Competed in 2006 FILA Junior World Championships… 2006 FILA Junior World Team Trials champion… Four-time Michigan state champion… Six-time Junior Nationals champion, tying national record with Sean Hage of Georgia… College: Univ of Iowa, Virginia Tech… High School: Davison, Mich…. Born: July 14, 1986… Age: 28
Previous Matchups
2015 Freestyle World Cup – Metcalf dec. Maren, 7-2
Women’s freestyle 69 kg/152 lbs. – Randi Miller (USA) vs. Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
In a battle of athletes ranked by United World Wrestling, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller will battle 2015 Pan American Championships champion Yudaris Sanchez for the first time. UWW has Sanchez at No. 16 and Miller at No. 18 in their most recent rankings. It is a match between a veteran star against a rising young talent.
Miller retired after winning her Olympic medal and sat out over five years before returning to competition. Since her comeback in 2014, Miller has not faced any Cubans. In 2014, Elena Pirozhkova pinned Sanchez at the Cerro Pelado International in Cuba. This season, Miller has a 1-2 record in matches against Pirozhkova, in a common opponent comparison.
Miller is competing for the second straight year in Times Square. In the Beat the Streets event in 2014, Miller defeated World champion Alina Makhinya of Ukraine, 11-5. She is fresh off her U.S. Open loss to Pirozhkova in Las Vegas, and would like nothing better than getting a big win in New York to help in her preparation for the World Team Trials in Madison in June. Miller is most effective when she is very physical and wears down her opponents, making them both physically and mentally tired. Expect that she will come out hard and strong against this young Cuban.
Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 16
2015 Pan American Championships champion… Third in 2015 Pan American Junior Championships… Second in 2013 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Third in 2015 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Fifth in 2014 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)… Born November 15, 1997…Age 17
Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 18
2008 Olympic bronze medalist… 2014 CISM Military World champion…2014 U.S. World Team member.. 2008 and 2014 U.S. Open champion … Second in 2006, 2007 and 2015 U.S. Open… Second in 2013 New York AC International… 2007 New York AC International champion… Third in 2005 U.S. Nationals… 2007 and 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion… College: Northern Michigan, MacMurray, Neosho County CC… High School: Arlington, Texas (Martin)… Born: Nov. 3, 1983… Age: 31
No Previous Matchups
Over the next few days, TheMat.com will be taking a little closer look at each of the Beat the Streets “Salsa in the Square” matchups that will occur in Times Square on Thursday, May 21. Each of these previews will feature a biography of the wrestlers, as well as previous meetings on the mat.
We continue the previews today with U.S. men’s freestyle stars Tony Ramos and Brent Metcalf as well as women’s freestyle star Randi Miller, along with their opponents in Times Square.
Men’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Tony Ramos (USA) vs. Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
This is a battle between a pair of wrestlers ranked in the world by United World Wrestling. It is also rematch from the 2015 Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles in April, where Bonne secured a pin in the final few seconds of the bout. The score does not tell the story of this match. It was very close until Bonne was able to lock up a cradle at the end.
Bonne is currently ranked No. 3 at 61 kg, because that was the weight that he won his World bronze medal last summer in Uzbekistan. That has been his weight class going back many years. The World Cup was his first time down to this weight, and Beat the Streets will be his second time. He is very big at this weight. However, Ramos also came down in weight after his college career, so both are large and strong at 61 kg.
Bonne has been successful against American opponents. At the 2015 Cerro Pelado International, he beat Joey McKenna 18-6. He beat Shawn Bunch in the 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier, 1-1, 6-0 and earlier that year beat Troy Nickerson at the Pan Am Championships, 2-0, 1-1. Go back to 2011 Cerro Pelado International, and he has a win over Nick Simmons, 5-0, 6-0.
Ramos has shown continued improvement since he won the World Team Trials in Madison last year and inserted himself onto the international scene. He has had close matches against some very tough opponents, including a 5-5 loss to World champion Hassan Rahimi of Iran at the World Cup. Ramos is fearless and very confident, and wrestles well with the spotlight on him. Case in point was his last second win at the U.S. Open against Andrew Hochstrasser. This will be chance for Ramos to take another step forward in his career.
Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 3 at 61 kg
Third in 2014 World Championship… 2012 Olympian… 2014 Granma Cup champion (Cuba)…2005 & 2012 Pan American champion…2012 Cerro Pelado International champion (Cuba)…2002 Junior Pan American champion (Freestyle)…2002 Junior Pan American Champion (Greco-Roman)… Second in 2012 Canada Cup…Third in 2013 Cerro Pelado International… Third in 2011 Pan American Games…Born November 2, 1983…Age 31
Tony Ramos, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 13
2015 U.S. Open champion… 2014 U.S. World Team member… 2014 World Team Trials champion… 2015 Grand Prix of Paris champion… 2014 Canada Cup champion… 2011 Junior World Team member… Fifth in 2009 Junior World Championships… 2014 NCAA champion for Iowa… Second in 2013 NCAA Championships… Third in 2012 NCAA Championships… Three-time Illinois state champion for Glenbard North High School… Born: February 12, 1991… Age: 24
Previous Matchups
2014 Freestyle World Cup – Bonne pin Ramos, 4:57
Men’s freestyle 65 kg/143 lbs. – Brent Metcalf (USA) vs. Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)
Brent Metcalf is having his best international wrestling season to date, and comes into the Beat the Streets event off a victory at the U.S. Open in a loaded field. He has already wrestled Maren this season, beating him 7-2 at the World Cup in Los Angeles in April. Metcalf led 1-0 at the break and extended his lead in the second period by keeping pressure on Maren and winning the key positions.
Metcalf hadn’t met a Cuban in many years, going back to a loss to Geandry Garzon at the 2011 Cerro Pelado in Cuba, 0-1, 0-4. Maren has run into a number of Americans in recent seasons. He lost to young star Aaron Pico of the USA in the second round at the 2015 Granma Cup, in a 1-1 criteria match. In the 2014 Cerro Pelado International, he beat American Kellen Russell in the semifinals by technical fall. He also beat American Drew Headlee in the finals at the 2013 Pan American Championships, 3-0, 4-0.
Metcalf has competed at three World Championships and has not won a medal, something which drives him to continue working hard and improving in all areas of his wrestling. He also has an impressive 4-0 record in previous Beat the Streets events. In 2014, he defeated tough Russian Magomed Kurbanaliev, 11-8. Two other wins were over Russians, stopping Soslan Ramanov, 0-2, 1-0, 7-0 in 2013 and Magomedmurad Gadziev, 1-0, 4-1, 4-1 in 2011. He was featured in the Main Event of the 2010 Battle of the Intrepid on the U.S.S. Intrepid aircraft carrier, stopping Bubba Jenkins, 2-0, 6-0. You can expect Metcalf to come after Maren hard in New York, looking to add another win in New York to his resume.
Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)
2014 Granma Cup champion (Cuba)…2013 Pan American champion…Third in 2015 Granma Cup (Cuba)…Third in 2012 and 2013 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Seventh in 2009 World Cup…Born March 9, 1987…Age 27
Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC/Hawkeye WC)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 5
2014 U.S. Open champion… Member of 2010, 2013 and 2014 U.S. World Team… Second in 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials… 2014 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals champion… 2014 and 2015 World Cup champion… Second in 2013 and 2015 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix (Russia)… Second in 2013 World Cup… Third in 2015 Grand Prix of Paris (France)… 2012 Stepan Sargsyan International champion (Armenia)… 2011 Olympic Test Event champion (England)… Second in 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier, qualifying USA for Olympics… Second in 2013 World Cup… Second in 2013 Ivan Yarygin Memorial (Russia)… 2011 Takhti Cup runner-up (Iran)… Second in 2011 U.S. World Team Trials… Third in 2011 and 2013 U.S. Open… Second in 2009 U.S. Open… Fifth in 2008 U.S. Open… Third in 2010 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals (Azerbaijan)… Third in 2009 Pan American Championships… 2008 and 2010 NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa… 2009 NCAA runner-up… 2008 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as nation’s top college wrestler…. 2006 Clansman International champion… Competed in 2006 FILA Junior World Championships… 2006 FILA Junior World Team Trials champion… Four-time Michigan state champion… Six-time Junior Nationals champion, tying national record with Sean Hage of Georgia… College: Univ of Iowa, Virginia Tech… High School: Davison, Mich…. Born: July 14, 1986… Age: 28
Previous Matchups
2015 Freestyle World Cup – Metcalf dec. Maren, 7-2
Women’s freestyle 69 kg/152 lbs. – Randi Miller (USA) vs. Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
In a battle of athletes ranked by United World Wrestling, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller will battle 2015 Pan American Championships champion Yudaris Sanchez for the first time. UWW has Sanchez at No. 16 and Miller at No. 18 in their most recent rankings. It is a match between a veteran star against a rising young talent.
Miller retired after winning her Olympic medal and sat out over five years before returning to competition. Since her comeback in 2014, Miller has not faced any Cubans. In 2014, Elena Pirozhkova pinned Sanchez at the Cerro Pelado International in Cuba. This season, Miller has a 1-2 record in matches against Pirozhkova, in a common opponent comparison.
Miller is competing for the second straight year in Times Square. In the Beat the Streets event in 2014, Miller defeated World champion Alina Makhinya of Ukraine, 11-5. She is fresh off her U.S. Open loss to Pirozhkova in Las Vegas, and would like nothing better than getting a big win in New York to help in her preparation for the World Team Trials in Madison in June. Miller is most effective when she is very physical and wears down her opponents, making them both physically and mentally tired. Expect that she will come out hard and strong against this young Cuban.
Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 16
2015 Pan American Championships champion… Third in 2015 Pan American Junior Championships… Second in 2013 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Third in 2015 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…Fifth in 2014 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)… Born November 15, 1997…Age 17
Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 18
2008 Olympic bronze medalist… 2014 CISM Military World champion…2014 U.S. World Team member.. 2008 and 2014 U.S. Open champion … Second in 2006, 2007 and 2015 U.S. Open… Second in 2013 New York AC International… 2007 New York AC International champion… Third in 2005 U.S. Nationals… 2007 and 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion… College: Northern Michigan, MacMurray, Neosho County CC… High School: Arlington, Texas (Martin)… Born: Nov. 3, 1983… Age: 31
No Previous Matchups
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