Oscar Cantu’s recent trek to the U.S. Senior National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado – his third career appearance – was supposed to be the charm, but things didn’t pan out that way.

Having advanced to the quarterfinals last year, Cantu this time was eliminated at the first tier by Oscar Vasquez of Nevada.

“I was lost in coming up with the words (after the loss) because it wasn’t the usual me in that fight,” Oscar said. “It was just a bad day and I didn’t have it. I was set up for greatness in this tournament, felt I would be in the top four for sure and meet (two-time Olympian) Rasheed Warren in the finals. I guess I was looking too far ahead and overlooking Vasquez.”

Jaime Cantu, Oscar’s trainer and father, summarized his son’s fight.

“Vasquez is a young brawling type of fighter and Oscar came out sticking and moving in the first round,” Cantu said. “We thought we were doing well but found out we were behind 7-4 after the first round. I got in the corner with Oscar and talked about the score and told him to pick it up a little bit.”

Coach Cantu also instructed Oscar to start pushing back at Vasquez.

“I wanted Oscar to get Vasquez off of his chest because the kid was coming into Oscar’s chest and keeping the fight close like that,” Cantu said. “After the second round, the score came back 16-15 with Oscar behind by one point. So I told Oscar, before the last round, that the only way we were going to score and win was to match Vasquez’s toeto toe style and that’s what Oscar did.”

Cantu immediately tied the score with a hard punch. Vasquez landed a shot of his own and retook a slim lead. Cantu repeatedly tied the score and Vasquez continued getting ahead by a nose and the overall tally eventually reached 19-19.

“In between all that, we thought Oscar was landing several shots that should have been scored but we weren’t getting the points,” Coach Cantu said. “In the final two seconds of the fight, both of them were throwing combinations, Vasquez was credited another point and ended up winning 20-19. Did Oscar do enough to win, I believe so, but we just weren’t on the same sheet of music as the judges were that day. It takes three out of five judges to press their button within a second of one another or else the point is not scored and sometimes you don’ get credited for the punches you land.”

Warren ended up winning the event while many in attendance said none of his opponents gave the two-time Olympian a good match. Some even went as far as saying Oscar’s loss to Warren - at the National Golden Gloves tournament in Arkansas a few months ago – was the toughest match the experienced Olympian has recently had.

Oscar, however, has no time to pout over spilt milk with the National PALS tournament to be held in San Antonio in October; an event which is the first trials for the 2012 United States Olympic team. Should he win in San Antonio, Oscar will instantly earn a slot as one of eight finalists who will duke it out to become the Olympic representative in the 114 lb. weight class.

“Now I am just training hard, I want to dominate every fight I have from here on out so that there is no chance that anyone can steal it from me,” Oscar said. “I know God has a plan for me as well as bigger and better things ahead.”