COLORADO SPRINGS, Ncej puab. (Plaub Hlis Ntuj 5, 2018 — USA Boxing has announced that Duke Ragan (Cincinnati, OH) thiab Virginia Fuchs (Tsev pheebsuab, TX) have been named 2017 Under Armour Elite Boxers of the Year. They are leading contenders to represent Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Xyoo tas los, the 20-year-old Ragan used his stiff jab and ring intelligence to make a major statement in the ring for the first time in International competition. The slick bantamweight (123 lbs.) captured gold at his initial International tournament, the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Lub teb chaws yelemees, before he clinched a ticket to his first World Championships, by way of his bronze-medal winning performance at the 2017 Continental Championships in Honduras.

Ragan’s third International medal of 2017 came at the 2017 Elite Men’s World Championships, where he won a silver medal, marking the highest placing for an American bantamweight at that prestigious tournament since 1999.

Fuchs, 30, had a perfect 18-0 record in 2017, kuj muaj 15 unanimous decision victories and one by RSC (referee stopped contest). Highlighted by winning top honors in the flyweight division (112 lbs.) nyob rau ntawm lub 2017 USA Elite National Championships at Salt Lake City, Utah, Virginia also won at the Balkan Tournament, Continental Championships, Feliks Stamm Tournament, and Strandja Tournament. She won gold at all four International tournaments she entered.

A winner at the 2016 Olympic raug kev txom nyem, Fuchs graduated from Louisiana State University in 2011 with a degree in Kinesiology.

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