Tag Archives: Olympisk boksning

Two-Time Gold Medalist and Professional Superstar Claressa Shields and Her Team Send Congratulations to USA Boxing’s Olympic Medal Winners

August 15, 2021 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Two-time Olympic champion Claressa Shields, from Flint, Michigan, is proud of Team USA’s Olympic boxing medalists and the whole USA Boxing squad, which featured five female participants for the first time. The only American boxer ever to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, Shields stood atop the medal podium at the first-ever Olympic Games to feature women’s boxing in 2012, before duplicating the feat at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The reigning middleweight Olympic champion was pleased with the United States’ performance at the Tokyo Olympics, which featured three silver medals and a bronze in the first appearance of a women’s welterweight competition.

“I’m super proud of the U.S. hold. The Olympics is the hardest tournament to medal in and all of you showed a lot of grit, hard work, determination and skill,”Shields sagde.

Earning medals in Tokyo were female welterweight O’shae Jones from nearby Toledo, Ohio, who took home a bronze, as well as a pair of professional boxers in Duke Ragan (fjervægt) and Keyshawn Davis (letvægts), and California’s Richard Torrez Jr, (super tungvægt) who each won silver medals. The four medals represent the highest total for Team USA since Ricardo Juarez, Ricardo Williams, Clarence Vinson and Jermain Taylor grabbed hardware (two silver and two bronze) ved 2000 OL.

Den 2020 Olympic Games featured the addition of two women’s weight divisions, bantamvægt (119 lbs) og weltervægt (152 lbs), which shows the continued growth of the sport of women’s boxing throughout the world.

Shields, who in addition to her two Olympic gold medals has won ten world titles in three weight divisions and become undisputed champion in two weight classes in just eleven fights as a professional and recently launched a two-sport career with her professional MMA debut for the PFL, says that having Jones as another American female professional boxer sporting an Olympic medal would be good for the sport. Jones has previously expressed a desire to enter the pro ranks.

“An injection of new top-level talent is always positive,”Sagde Shields (11-0-0, 2 KOS), who aside from making her successful MMA fighting debut in June, made history last March by dethroning Canada’s Marie-Eve Dicaire and becoming the first boxer in the four-belt era to be an undisputed champion in two divisions. She also retained her WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles with the victory and claimed Dicaire’s IBF belt, as well as the vacant WBA Championship. “The idea of a new generation of ladies turning pro and deepening the talent pool with Olympic-level skills will be good for the sport of women’s boxing.”

Shields went 77-1 as an amateur and turned professional after her second Olympic victory in 2016. Her 2017 battle with Szilvia “Sunset” Szabados was the first female main event to be broadcast on American premium television. In addition to currently being the WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA champion at 154 pounds, Shields had previously unified all four of the major sanctioning body belts at middleweight (160 lbs.).

Shields has had a dominating, record-breaking run thus far in her professional career, tearing through other women once considered the best in their divisions with relative ease. She and Great Britain’s Katie Taylor, also undefeated as a pro, have lifted women’s boxing to new heights in recent years, leading an increasingly deeper talent pool that will only get deeper with the addition of the 2020 Olympians from around the world.

Shields 'manager, Mark Taffet of Mark Taffet Media, agrees that the impending influx of new talent to women’s boxing will benefit the sport as a whole.

“I’m excited for the four Americans who brought home Olympic medals this year, particularly welterweight bronze medal winner Oshae Jones who I believe will be one to watch in the next few years,” said Taffet. “The female boxing talent pool, and importantly the U.S. pool, continues to improve and bodes well for the future of women’s boxing and the continued gains toward equality across the board.”

Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Word of Word -kampagner, says he’s excited for the future and proud of USA Boxing, who produced four medal winners while undergoing a deadly pandemic that severely hampered the ability to train properly

“As a former amateur and professional boxer, I know the sacrifices required to fight on the elite level and I congratulate Team USA for all of its successes this year, even through all the added challenges that Covid-19 created,Sagde Salita.

Three Fighter Locker stable members competing in The Olympics

Juni 9, 2021 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

BOSTON (Juni 6, 2021) – Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker managerial company will have three representatives competing in Tokyo this summer in the Summer Olympic Games.

Colombian light flyweight Yuberjan “El Tremendo” Martinez, who captured a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics in Brazil, is currently rated fourth in the world by AIBA. His main opposition figures to be Artur Hovhannisyan (Armenien), Oscar Collazo (Puerto Rico) og Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov (Usbekistan).

Martinez lost in the 2018 Olympic championship final to Uzbekistan’sHasanboy Dusmatov, 3-0. A decorated amateur, Martinez won gold medals at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and 2018 South American Games, silver at the 2019 Pan American Games and 2014 Centralamerikanske og Caribiske spil, and bronze at the 2017 World Amateur Championships.

Another 2-time Olympian is Dominican Republic lightweightLionel de los Santos, der er vurderet nr. 3 by AIBA behindLazaro Jorge Alvarez (Cuba) ogTsendbaster Erdenebat (Mongolia). Santos, who was eliminated in the last Olympics in the preliminary round, is already 3-0 as a professional with three first-round knockouts.

Santos, 26, was a silver medalist at the prestigious Pan-American Games in 2019, where he lost to 3-time Pan-Am gold medalistLazaro Alvarez, the 3-time World amateur champion and 2-time Olympic bronze medalist.

The third Fighter Locker Olympian is Colombian middleweightJorge Vivas, a 33-year-old who won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.

“Adding these fighters to the Fighter Locker family was a huge accomplishment,” managerRyan Roach said. “These guys are the best of the best in the world. You’re talking less than one-percent chance of making an Olympic team and two of three of my fighters are going back to the Olympics for the second time.

“After the Olympics, I will quickly transition these fighters into the professional ranks, as long as they are healthy and so forth. We have four fight dates set for them and representing their homelands proudly. I am very honored to represent these young men and guide their careers.”

Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers include California super flyweightRocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (21-1, 6 KOS), Troy, NY ABF American West super lightweightRay Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez(12-0, 9 KOS), Toronto, Canada welterweight West Haven, CT super welterweightJimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams (17-5-2, 6 KOS), super mellemvægt“The Amazing” Shawn McCalman(7-0, 4 KOS), US. Army super bantamweightDaniel Bailey, Jr. (5-0, 4 KOS), letvægtsLeonel de los Santos(2-0, 2 KOS), en 2-time Dominican Republic Olympian, Boston featherweightTroy Anderson, Jr. (1-0, 1 KO), pro-debuting Dominican Republic welterweightJuan Solano, and Salt Lake City, 2016 Brazilian Olympic silver medalistYuberjen Martinez, Brazilian OlympianJorge Vivas, Colorado super middleweight Marvin “Too Much” Cordova, Jr. (23-2-1, 12 KOS), West Palm Beach, FL light heavyweight Robert Daniels, Jr. (4-0, 4 KOS), Utah brothers, super letIgnacio Chairez (8-0-1, 5 KOS) and lightweightGabriel Chairez (3-0-1, 2 KOS).

INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com

FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker

TWITTER: @RoachRyan

INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82

ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Etableret i 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.

Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.

boksning, OL, USA Boxing

Seks Team USA -boksere bokser billet til de olympiske lege i Tokyo 2020

Maj 15, 2021 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Colorado Springs, Lap. (Maj 12, 2021) — Boksningens taskforce (BTF) annonceret i dag 49 kvotepladser, oprindeligt tildelt ved Road to Tokyo Americas Qualifier, der blev tildelt boksere for at konkurrere i de olympiske lege Tokyo 2020 den her sommer. Kvotepladserne omfattede seks Team USA -boksere, som var baseret på BTF Rankings.

“Disse seks boksere har været en fast bestanddel i vores program og har etableret sig blandt verdens bedste ved deres præstationer i løbet af den sidste quad,”Udtalte USA Boxing High Performance DirectorMatt Johnson. "Nu er det tid til, at de optræder på verdens største scene i Tokyo."

Repræsenterer Team USA ved de olympiske lege i Tokyo 2020, afventende amerikansk olympisk & Paralympisk udvalgs godkendelse, vil bliveRashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) Virginia Fuchs(Houston, Texas), Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, N.C.), dELANTE Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio), Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) ogRichard Torrez Jr.. (Tulare, Calif.). Alle seks boksere konkurrerer i deres første olympiske lege.

2019 Elite -kvinders VM -bronzemedaljevinder Ellis vil konkurrere i kvindernes letvægt (132 lbs./60 kg) division. Ellis vandt bronze ved 2019 Pan American Games vil tilføje hendes BTF -rangliste for at styrke hendes position i Tokyo som den næsthøjest rangerede Amerikas bokser og 12^th samlet i sin vægtklasse. Ellis vil se efter at vinde Team USA's første letvægts -olympiske medalje for kvinder.

”Kvalifikationen til OL har været en af mine dybeste drømme,”Nævnte Ellis. ”Jeg tvivler aldrig på min evne. Jeg er holdt op med at være bange for, hvad der kunne gå galt, og begyndte at være spændt på, hvad der kunne gå rigtigt. Så, Jeg omfavner mine fejl og lærer af dem, da mine fejl har hjulpet mig med at forbedre og nå OL. Jeg gør det ikke let; Jeg får ting til at ske. Det hårde arbejde og engagement med indsats og beslutsomhed, Jeg kan lykkes. ”

Fuchs skal repræsentere Team USA i flyvevægt -divisionen (112 lbs./51 kg). Den 33-årige søger at tjene USA Boxing sin anden medalje i kvindens flyvevægt-division siden arrangementets introduktion i London 2012. Fuchs bringer et imponerende CV til ringen, herunder en bronzemedalje ved 2018 Elite -VM for kvinder og sølvmedalje fra 2019 Pan American Games, hvilket placerer hende som den næsthøjeste Amerikas flyvevægtsbokser og 16^th samlet på BTF -ranglisten.

”Jeg har ventet på dette øjeblik i meget lang tid. Jeg er så begejstret, at jeg endelig kan kalde mig en olympier,”Sagde Fuchs. ”Med hele denne verden har været igennem og skulle udsætte OL et helt år, Jeg er stolt over at sige, at jeg er en af deltagerne i det, der vil blive kendt som de mest anerkendte OL i historien. Jeg er klar til at repræsentere mit land på den mest respekterede måde og bringe guldet hjem!"

2019 Pan American Games Graham er den højest seedede Amerikas kvindelige mellemvægt (165 lbs./75 kg) bokser i BTF -ranglisten, hvor hun i øjeblikket sidder ottende samlet. Graham tjente point fra sin Pan American Games -titel, samt hendes tredjeplads ved 2018 Elite -VM for kvinder og top fem slutter ved 2019 udgave. Graham, der bliver USA Boxings første aktive kvindelige militærmedlem til at konkurrere i et OL, vil være i strid med at få fat i Team USAs tredje olympiske guldmedalje i træk i kvindernes mellemvægt.

”Det føles uvirkeligt, at jeg skal til OL,”Sagde Graham, da han talte om at tjene sit sted til Tokyo. ”Jeg bliver ved med at overraske mig selv ved at finde mine egne grænser, og derefter have modet til at blæse forbi dem. ”

Jones vil træde ind i ringen i en af de to nyligt tilføjede kvinders vægtklasser, den weltervægt (152 lbs./69 kg) division. Jones, der lavede historie i 2019 med hendes guldmedalje præstation ved Pan American Games, vil se ud til at fortsætte med at lave historie ved at blive de første olympiske guldmedaljer i hendes vægtafdeling. Den 23-årige tilføjede værdifulde point til sin rangliste med sin top fem placering på 2019 Elite -verdensmesterskab for kvinder slutter som Amerikas bedste bokser og syvende på den samlede BTF -rangliste for weltervægtafdelingen til at slå hendes billet til OL.

”Jeg må kun tage ét sted, men mit ene sted repræsenterer så meget,”Delte Jones. ”Jeg er yderst taknemmelig for chancen for at repræsentere kvinder, Afroamerikanere, min lille by Toledo, men vigtigst, mit land."

Den anden Ohioan, der repræsenterede Team USA, Johnson, forlænger rækken af Cleveland-indfødte bokse-olympier til fire, følge i Charles Conwells fodspor (2016), Terrell Gausha (2012) og Raynell Williams (2008). Weltervægten (152 lbs./69 kg), der først fangede bokseverdenens opmærksomhed med sin guldmedalje præstation på 2016 Ungdoms -VM, tjente sine rankingpoint gennem sin bronzemedalje ved 2019 Pan American Games og top 16 placering på 2019 Elite -VM. Johnson var den tredjehøjeste seedede Amerikas bokser og 19^th samlet set.

”Mine kampe er mine striber, og jeg bærer dem på ryggen, så folk omkring mig kan se det, selv når du bor i en jungle, du kan stadig jagte dine drømme,”Sagde Johnson. ”Jeg gør ikke kun dette for min by, men for mine to trænere, Dante Benjamin Sr. og Clint Martin, som jeg mistede under min rejse til disse spil. ”

Torrez, den højest rangerede supersværvægt (201+ lbs./91+ kg) bokser fra Amerika og 11^th samlet, tjente sin plads gennem sin præstation på tredjepladsen på 2019 Pan American Games og top fem stående ved dette års Elite -VM for mænd. Torrez, en tidligere ungdoms -VM -bronzemedalje, vil være den første amerikanske bokser til at konkurrere i denne vægtklasse siden 2012.

»Alle er glade for, at de skal til OL, det er alles drøm, men jeg skal være der,”Sagde Torrez. ”Den ild, der blev indpodet i mig, før jeg overhovedet kunne gå, der driver mig til at være den bedste, ilden, der har været i min familie i generationer, er overløbet. Det har sat alle mine andre muligheder i flammer, og det har gjort aske til enhver anden mulighed end succesen. ”

Team USA vil blive guidet af USA Boxing National Cheftræner Billy Walsh under disse olympiske lege.

”Det er en fantastisk nyhed for vores seks boksere, der har arbejdet uendeligt i de sidste fem år for at blive olympier,”Walsh delte. ”Vi fokuserer nu på den næste fase af processen, at blive en olympisk mester. ”

Boksningskonkurrencen begynder lørdag, Juli 24^th (JST). Fortsæt med at kontrollereusaboxing.org og USA Boxings sociale medieplatforme for at holde sig opdateret om flere oplysninger om de olympiske lege i Tokyo 2020.

Alle holdnomineringer er underlagt USOPC -godkendelse.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

OM USA BOXING: At fremme og dyrke amatørboksning i olympisk stil i USA og inspirere den utrættelige jagt på olympisk guld og gøre det muligt for atleter og trænere at opnå vedvarende konkurrencemæssig ekspertise. Derudover, USA Boxing bestræber sig på at lære alle deltagere karakteren, tillid og fokus, de har brug for for at blive modstandsdygtige og mangfoldige mestre, både ind og ud af ringen. USA Boxing er et hold, én nation, går efter guld!

boksning, OL, USA Boxing

The one and only 1956 olympic gold medalist pete rademacher

September 2, 2020 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Colorado Springs, Lap. (August 27, 2020) - 1956 OL-guldvinderPete Rademacheris the only boxer to fight for a world title in his pro debut.

Rademacher, who died this past June at the age of 91 in Sandusky, Ohio, was a native of Tieton, Washington. He had a 72-7 amatør rekord, highlighted by his gold medal performance at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Rademacher started boxing during his rehabilitation for Rheumatic Fever, which he contracted while attending Castle Heights Military Academy. The gifted heavyweight captured top honors at numerous national tournaments, herunder 1951 & 1953 National AAU Championships, 1954 All-Army Championship and Service Championships, and Olympic Trials.

In Australia, he knocked out the three opponents he faced, in order, Josef Nemec (Czechoslovakia) in the quarterfinals, South AfricanDaan Bekker i semifinalen, and the Soviet Union’sLev Mukhin in the opening round of the championship final for the gold medal.

Rademacher was so hot after the Olympics that he publicly proclaimed that he would be able to become world heavyweight champion in his pro debut. Soon after he became the only fighter to make his pro debut in a world title fight, when he challenged defending World heavyweight championFloyd Patterson (32-1) på August 22, 1957 in Seattle. Rademacher floored Patterson in the second round, dog, he was dropped six times before the fight, which was refereed by Hall of FamerTommy Loughran, was halted at 2:57 of that round.

Rademacher, who was an offensive lineman on Washington State University’s football team, didn’t take many easy fights during his 5-year pro career (15-7-1, 8 KOS). His most notable pro victories were against World title challengerGeorge Chuvalo (17-3-1) and future Hall of Famer and World middleweight championBobo Olson(87-12), both by way of 10-round unanimous decisions, as well as technical knockouts overLaMar Clark (42-1) and NorwegianBuddy Thurman(32-5-1), henholdsvis, i 10^th and ninth rounds.

Rademacher’s pro losses were to some of the best heavyweights in the world, such as Hall of FamerArchie Moore, along with world title challengersKarl Mildenberger (29-1), ubesejretDoug Jones (17-0) ogZorro Foley (40-2-2), who had been Rademacher’s arch-rival in the amateur ranks.

USA Boxing Alumni Association

Created to champion lifelong, gensidigt fordelagtige forhold mellem USA Boxing og dets alumner, –boksere, officials, coaches and boxing fans — The Alumni Association connects generations of champions, inspiring and giving back to USA Boxing’s future boxing champions, in and out of the ring.

The USA Boxing Alumni Association is open to anyone who has a love for boxing and would like to stay connected with amateur boxing. Members are granted access to a wide variety of special events hosted by the Alumni Association, including its annual USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame reception.

To join the Alumni Association, simply register atalumni@usaboxing.org for a $40.00 per year membership fee. New members will receive a T-shirt, key-chain and e-wallet.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing, @USABoxingAlumni

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

boksning, OL, USA Boxing

Top USA amateur boxers adjusting to life without fights & waiting another year for Olympics show

April 27, 2020 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Arjan Iseni training during the pandemic

Colorado Springs, Lap. (April 23, 2020) — Amateur boxing, as in the professional ranks, has been shut-down worldwide due to the Coronavirus pandemic. USA Boxing members are adjusting to these challenging and trying times all across the country.

Gyms and schools are closed, tournaments suspended, og 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo have been postponed a year. Members of the Elite Qualification, Youth and Junior High Performance teams are home rather than in Colorado Springs training at the state-of-art United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.

How are some of the leading U.S. amateur boxers living during this period without fights?

**ELITE OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION TEAM**

***Joseph Hicks*** (Grand Rapids, Michigan), 26-year-old middleweight, USA Ranking #2
Gold medal performances: 2019 Nationale Golden Gloves; 2017 & 2018 Eastern Elite Qualifier; 3-time Eastern Elite Qualifier (2017-2019)

Hicks was within one qualifier victory of officially becoming a member of the 2020 Team USA Olympic Boxing Team. He is taking advantage of the break, selv, spending quality time with his wife and young daughter.

“

I personally feel that this has been a blessing in disguise, because I have more time to improve on the things the USA coaches have been telling me to work on. I live in an apartment in Lansing (MY), but I’ve been staying with my mom in Grand Rapids so I can comfortably train. It’s weird in a way, but I miss getting punched at. I’ve been trying to adapt to the new normal, but I can’t wait to be back at the training center (in Colorado Springs).

“I love that I can see my daughter every day to give her all my attention, but she misses the gym as much as me. My wife and mother have been very supportive. I believe waiting another year will only make me better by the time the Olympics are here.”

***Oshae Jones***, (Toledo, Ohio), 22-year-old welterweight, USA Ranking #1
Gold Medal Performances: 2020 Olympic Team Trials, 3-time Elite National Championships (2016-2019), 2017 Eastern Elite Qualifier, 2016 Youth Open, 2014 National PAL. International: 2020 Strandja Tournament & 2019 Pan-American Games

Jones had been on a roll leading up to the since postponed Americas Qualifier to lock a roster spot on the 2020 Team USA Olympic Boxing Team. She has been training at her family’s gym in Toledo, as well as getting more involved in community services and functions.

“I have not adapted to life without boxing, because boxing will never leave my life. Min familie / coaches have a gym connected to our house we live in. Boxing is not a sport, it’s a lifestyle .

“My heart dropped when I first heard that the Olympics were postponed. Everything that I have been working toward for basically my whole life is on pause until next July. I do not know how I feel or how to express how I feel. The only thing I can do is try to stay motivated.”

**YOUTH HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM**

***Arjan Iseni*** (Staten Island, New York), 17-year-old light heavyweight, USA Ranking #1
Gold Medal Performances: 2019 Youth National Championships, Eastern Regional Open & Youth Open

Iseni lives in the Coronavirus epicenter, Staten Island, NY. He and his father built a small ring in their backyard (see picture below) because he couldn’t train in any gyms.

“It’s very hard to know that I won’t be able to represent Team USA this year in any international tournaments. This is my last year as a youth boxer, but I have been training very hard during quarantine, and I will be ready for whatever is next for me.

“It is hard knowing that I will not be fighting soon, but this gives me more time to perfect the little flaws in my game, and I’ll comeback stronger when this all ends. Forhåbentlig, everything goes back to normal soon, so I can get back to fighting actively and hopefully make Team USA as an Elite boxer.”

***Shera Mae Patricio*** (Waianae, Hawaii), 17-year-old flyweight, USA Ranking #1
Gold Medal Performances: 2019 Youth National Championships & Western Regional Open; 2018 Youth National Championships & Western Regionals Open; 2017 National Golden Gloves Tournaments og United States Olympic Trials & Nationale Golden Gloves

Patricio lives the furthest away from training camp and her teammates, but her family owns a boxing gym, and training/sparring isn’t as a problem for her because she has eight siblings.

“We are in quarantine and I have adapted to life without fights by continuing to train at our personal gym with my siblings. Training hasn’t been a problem for us because we have our own personal gym. We sanitize all the equipment and the gym before and after training. Since there are no fights coming soon, we have been sharpening up our skills and building more knowledge We’ve been gaining strength and keeping up our endurance. On weekends, my dad rides a bike while we run laps to get some sunlight, and sometimes we do sprint drills outside.

“Our family is a boxing family that started with my dad as he was a boxer. He started training me, only for defense, but it started to get serious in 2015 when I won my first tournament in Kansas. All of my other siblings are also boxers and they’re also multiple-time champions. My siblings and I have been getting a ton of family time staying home together. This quarantine has made us even closer. Our bond makes us stronger individually and as one. I’m far away from training in Colorado Springs, but my teammates are only a phone call away. I’m able to stay in touch and that’s very warming. Some of the coaches check on me to see how I’ve been doing. I looked forward to all the tournaments I planned to fight in and I’m disappointed they’ve been postponed, but I have more time to be even better prepared for my next fight.”

**JUNIOR HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM**

***Steven Navarro*** (Los Angeles, California) 16-year-old flyweight, USA Ranking #1
Gold Medal Performances: 2019 Junior NM & National PAL; 2018 Junior NM; 2017 Prep Open & Western Regional Open

Navarro was training in Colorado Springs to prepare for international competition in Bulgaria, but the trip was cancelled two days before Navarro and his teammates were scheduled to depart.

“As a member of the USA Boxing Junior Team, I look forward to every fight / turnering, because it could be my last. So it was very heartbreaking when I was notified that our fights in Bulgaria and future international fights were cancelled due to this pandemic. I continue working as hard as I do on a regular basis: waking up at 5 om morgenen, running 5-6 miles in nearby hills, of course wearing my mask. I come home to take my online classes from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., which gives me a 2-hour nap before heading to my private gym. I am the only person who trains at my gym every day at 4:30 p.m. Once I get to the gym, I begin stretching for 3 runder (3-minute rounds), shadow box for 5-7 runder, then I hit five varieties of punching bags (3 runder hver). Afterwards, I work mitts (5-8 runder) where I focus on different movements and situations that could possibly happen in a fight. I often hit the double-end bag and speed bag for 3 runder. I finish my boxing training with 15 min. of jump rope.

“I train on a daily basis for 2 hours with my father/coach Refugio Navarro. This pandemic is a bit of a gamble due to not having access to sparring. I do tend to ‘move’ with my father once every week, but the experience is different. Once finished, I head to my grandparents’ house (only one block away from my home) to do my strength and conditioning. I do wear a mask and gloves when working out there. My grandfather is a bodybuilder and has his gym setup in his garage. I work-out with my grandfather for a good hour, constantly disinfecting all equipment, to wrap-up my day. I work with what I have, which is a blessing. Boxing isn’t a season sport, you must stay ready all year for anything, and that’s what I continue to do as I strive for greatness.”

***Fernanda Chavez*** (Dallas, Texas), 14-year-old bantamweight, USA Ranking #2
Gold Medal Performances: 2019 Junior Open; 2018 Prep Open & Eastern Regional

Chavez is a first-year member of the Junior High Performance Team and her inaugural training camp in Colorado Springs was pushed back.

“Adapting to this new lifestyle hasn’t been the easiest. I’m thankful I have my family, as we’ve been going on daily runs and workouts at parks. My family understands the importance of my athleticism and staying fit, which is why we continue to motivate each other during this tough time. I’m not sure when our lives will return to normal, which is why I’m still prepared at all times.

“The things I’m looking forward to most at camp in Colorado Springs is meeting other junior females on the team, as well as learning the different styles they bring. I also look forward to creating bonds between my new teammates and coaches from across the nation.”

Arjan Iseni’s backyard ring in Staten Island

**INFORMATION:**

www.usaboxing.org
Twitter: @USABoxing
Instagram: @USABoxing
Facebook: /USABoxing

**OM USA BOXING:** To promote and grow Olympic-style amateur boxing in the United States and to inspire the tireless pursuit of Olympic gold and enable athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence. Derudover, USA Boxing bestræber sig på at lære alle deltagere karakteren, tillid og fokus, de har brug for for at blive modstandsdygtige og mangfoldige mestre, både i og uden for ringen. USA Boxing is one team, én nation, går efter guld!

boksning, USA Boxing

A remarkable boxing journey like no other 1972 OL-guldvinder “Sukker” Ray Seales

April 15, 2020 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

(Ray Seales is in the front row, second in from the left)

Colorado Springs, Lap. (April 9, 2020) — Imagine being the lone boxer from your country to capture an Olympic gold medal, only days after the infamous Munich massacre. Now imagine also having won a remarkable 338 af 350 amateur matches, having fought a trilogy as a professional with **“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler**, being declared legally blind in both eyes (having entertainer **Sammy Davis, Jr.** pickup a six-figure medical bill), regaining sight in one eye, then working as a teacher of autistic students for 17 år.

**“Sukker” Ray Seales** has truly lived a surreal life, to say the least, and he’s still involved in boxing at the age of 67, as a successful coach of amateur boxers in Indianapolis.

Born in Saint Croix, US. Virgin Island as one of eight children in a family whose father was a boxer there as a member of the U.S. Army team, Seales started boxing at the age of nine. “I have three brothers and we always beat the crap out of each other,” he spoke about his start in boxing. “Learning how to box, for mig, was all about fighting to be the first to eat. I had gotten hit in my left eye playing dodgeball and my uncle, who was stationed at Ft. Lewis (i Tacoma, WA), told my mother there was a special doctor there who could help with my eye. My father was stationed all over and in 1964, when I was 12, my mother moved us to Tacoma, Washington.

“I had boxing in my system. I went with my brothers to the Downtown Tacoma Boys Club, which was only one block from our home, and my mother could watch me walk from our house to the gym and back. I was the first from there to win a Golden Gloves title. I wanted to be a winner and finished with 14 (mester) jackets. I couldn’t speak English. I knew Spanish and spoke Spanish and English together. The first word I said in English was box. We used to fight three or four times a day and we built the Tacoma Boxing Club. I went on to have a 338-12 amateur record and I’ve been in boxing ever since.”

Seales developed into a champion, taking top honors at the 1971 National AAU and 1972 National Golden Gloves championships. I en alder af 19, Seales enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, but his mother made some calls so Ray would be able to compete in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Tyskland.

She succeeded and the rest, som de siger, is history. And when he came home from the Olympics, he was told that there was no need for him to report to the U.S. Air Force, because he had done enough in terms of service as the only American boxer to win a gold medal.

Den 1972 OL, dog, was overshadowed by the killing of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, as well as a West German police officer at the Olympic Village by terrorists on Black September.

“I had just turned 20,” Seales remembered. “Boxing was heavy when we went there. Some of my family, my coach from Tacoma, and Tacoma teammate (and 2-time U.S. Olympian)**Davey Armstrong** were in Germany. I didn’t know anything at first. I had to get the attention of my parents to let them know not to go there, because there were terrorists with sub-machine guns in the Olympic Village. I was the only American boxer left to fight.”

Seales defeated Bulgarian **Angjei Anghhelov**, 5-0, in the light welterweight championship to capture an Olympic gold medal, the only member of the U.S. team to do so. His teammates included Armstrong, **Duane Bobick**, and Olympic bronze medalists **Jesse Valdez**, **Marvin Johnson** og **Ricardo Carreras**.

Sugar Ray Seales’s dedication to USA Boxing is second to none,” sagde Chris Cugliari, USA Boxing Alumni Director. “His pride, patriotism, and devotion to helping our next generation of champions is what makes him such an inspiring figure.”

**USA Boxing Alumni Association**

Created to champion lifelong, gensidigt fordelagtige forhold mellem USA Boxing og dets alumner, –boksere, officials, coaches and boxing fans — The Alumni Association connects generations of champions, inspiring and giving back to USA Boxing’s future boxing champions, ind og ud af ringen.

The USA Boxing Alumni Association is open to anyone who has a love for boxing and would like to stay connected with amateur boxing. Members are granted access to a wide variety of special events hosted by the Alumni Association, including its annual USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame reception.

To join the Alumni Association, simply register at alumni@usaboxing.org for a $40.00 per year membership fee. New members will receive a T-shirt, keychain and e-wallet.

Seales turned pro in 1973, winning an 8-round unanimous decision over **Gonzalo Rodriguez** i Tacoma. “Sugarman” won his first 21 pro slagsmål, until he lost a 10-round decision to 14-0 middleweight prospect and future Hall of Famer Marvin Hagler. To kampe senere, Seales fought Hagler in Tacoma to a 10-round draw (99-99, 99-99, 98-96).

“Everybody wanted a shot at the Olympic gold medalist,” Seales explained.” I went to Boston and we fought in a TV studio (WNAC). It was freezing in there. I was shivering when I went into the ring, Marvin came out dripping sweat. I knew I was losing after seeing that, but I hung with him and went the distance (10 runder). I was having management problems and three months later I fought Hagler again, only this time at home in Tacoma. I beat him but it ended in a 10-round draw. He knows I beat him!”

Seales completed his trilogy with Hagler, but it was five years later, when Hagler was 42-2-1 and avoided by most of the world’s top middleweights. “I was the USBA (United States Boxing Association) and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) middleweight champion and Hagler needed to win a title to get a world title shot,” Seales noted. “I lost our third fight in the first round, but that’s the only thing shown on television in our three fights. We were two left-handers, but he switched to right-handed, and he caught me with a hook. I got paid and they bought him a world title fight.”

Seales has coached two different amateur teams in Indianapolis during the past 11 år, vindende 10 Golden Gloves team championships, and he’s still in charge in Indy of Team IBG.

After he retired in 1984 after suffering detached retinas in both eyes, Seales was introduced in Las Vegas to Sammy Davis, Jr. (pictured below), who paid Seales’ $100,000 medical bill for his damaged eyes. Davis had lost his left eye in a 1952 car accident

“I’m a teacher,” Seales concluded. “I see the way that so many boxers want to fight likeFloyd Mayweather. Their head is tilted, they can’t throw a jab. I teach them to have the right foot behind the left (for a right-handed boxer), and to walk in straight, not tilted or peaking. Heel toe, heel toe every time you pivot is your stance.

“My advice for the boxers who hope to compete in the 2020 Olympics is to focus on what you’re doing and listen to how to get it done. What I really want to do is to coach the USA Olympic Boxing Team 2024.”

**INFORMATION:**
www.usaboxing.orgi
Twitter: @USABoxing, @USABoxingAlumni
Instagram: @USABoxing

boksning, OL, USA Boxing

Houston heavyweight boxer Darius Fulghum puts nursing career on hold to pursue Olympic dream

Februar 28, 2020 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Colorado Springs, Lap. (Februar 26, 2020) – Amateur boxers often take different routes on their personal journeys and Houston heavyweightDarius Fulghum has put his career outside the ring on hold to pursue his boxing dreams.

Fulghum was a wrestler in high school back in Killeen, Texas. He started boxing in 2015 and quickly developed a passion for the “Sweet Science,” largely because of it being a one-person sport. He didn’t need to rely on teammates, preferring to win or lose on his own accord. Although he was talented enough to be a collegiate wrestler, it would have been too much of a financial strain on his family.

“I had that competitive itch and was pretty good when I first started boxing,” Dariuis said. “I knew that I could do anything I put my mind to. I want to redefine boxing. I’m not a typical boxer who grew up on the streets. I don’t even like fighting; I’m passive and have never had a street fight.”

The 23-year-old Fulghum currently has his sights firmly set on representing his country in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Pro boxing will follow but, for nu, he’s training hard to qualify to compete in the Olympics by placing among the top three finishers at the America’s Qualification Tournament, March 26-April 3, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There will also be another “Last Chance” opportunity, hvis det er nødvendigt, at the World Qualifier, Maj 13-14, i Paris, where the top three there will also qualify for the Olympics.

“It’s so hard to not think about the Olympics all the time,” he admits. “I try to not think about it too much, but it is on my mind because I’ve dreamed of being an Olympian and I’m so close right now. I’ve made the sacrifices to be an Olympian and then I’ll be an Olympian the rest of my life.

“I listen to my coaches. In the heat of the moment, when things are most stressful, I feel like the underdog and I perform up to the absolute moment. It was do-or-die at Olympic Trials. I just refuse to lose.”

Fulgham certainly responded to the pressure of the trials in a positive fashion, upsetting pre-trials favoriteAdrian Tillman i åbningen runde, and then rolling through opponents until he secured the title.

“People didn’t know me,” Fulgham explained. “I was the underdog because I didn’t compete in many tournaments because I was in (nursing) school. My finals were always in December (same time as USA Nationals). I did have a break in my schedule in 2018, when I won a gold medal at the National Golden Gloves Tournament. It’s just the way my schedule worked out. So, I hadn’t fought in many tournaments, but I was able to sneak in when it mattered most.”

Fulghum recently competed in his first international tournament at the prestigious Strandja Tournament in Bulgaria, winning one of two matches. The experience, selv, was priceless, possibly career changing in terms of preparing for the Olympics.

“Not only was it my first international tournament,” bemærkede han, “it was the first time I had boxed without headgear (as will be the case in the Olympics), and I fought guys from foreign countries with different styles. It was a great experience because now I won’t be going blind into the Olympic Qualifier.”

Members of the USA Boxing Olympic Qualification Team, like Fulghum, are on break before returning for training with his teammates at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

“I reported there for the first time this past January 2nd and I love it,” Fulghum noted. “Every athlete dreams of training with top athletes where there are no distractions and top coaches. I wake up, spise, sleep, train and do that all over again the next day. That’s my schedule.”

Fulghum earned his nursing degree last May, but right now and for the immediate future he’s fully concentrating on boxing.

“I put education first and got my degree,” Fulgham concluded. “I’ll always have nursing after boxing. But I dreamed of going to the Olympics all through school. I put boxing on hold and now I’ve put nursing to the side so I can put my all into boxing. I didn’t want to juggle nursing and boxing. I couldn’t be the best at either that way.

“I do plan to turn pro because I love boxing so much. I need to box when I’m young. I’ll go as far as I can go in boxing and I’ll always having nursing.”

Darius Fulgham has taken a circuitous route in life from nursing to boxing. It’ll be worth it, selv, if he makes it to Tokyo as part of Team USA for the 2020 OL.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

boksning, OL, USA Boxing

Atif Oberlton representing City of Brotherly Love all the way to the World Championships

August 28, 2019 FNU47 Efterlad en kommentar

Colorado Springs, Lap. (August 22, 2019) – There’s a new rising force on the international boxing scene and his name is Atif Oberlton, a light heavyweight from Philadelphia, who is on a mission to make a name for himself in boxing.

Oberlton will be competing at the Elite Men’s World Championships, September 7-21, in Yekaterinburg, Rusland.

Lacking confidence is not an issue for the 21-year-old boxer who claims, “It’s very important for me to do well and win at the Worlds, because I know for a fact that, in my heart, I’m the best fighter in the world. Also, I’m new on the international scene, so it’s time for me to give a piece of what they’ve been missing.”

Oberlton started boxing at the age of nine, although he didn’t start competing until he was 14, because he was the only boy in his family, and his father wanted him to learn how to defend himself. Like so many of his teammates, he fell in love with boxing.

In the last five years, Oberlton has captured gold medals at the 2018 og 2016 Nationale Golden Gloves turnering, 2018 Eastern Elite Qualifier and 2014 National Junior Olympics. He also was a victor in the USA vs. Netherlands Dual.

“My greatest accomplishment so far is making Team USA and being where I’m at, because for years and years I was denied, and here I am today in the top spot where I belong. I’m a top-spot fighter, so I deserve it, and I put down top-notch work, too”

Overlton has taken advantage of training in Colorado Springs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, where he has shown improvement from day one, honing his skills to become a complete boxer.

“Conditioning plays a big part in my improvement; also seeing different styles, and getting top work has elevated me,” he spoke about training as a Team USA member. “I always break new barriers on the road to greatness and this (The Worlds) is another one I’m looking to smash through.”

In addition to representing his country, Oberlton is a proud Philly fighter continuing the long, rich boxing tradition in the City of Brotherly Love, which has produced the likes ofBernard Hopkins, Mathew Saad Muhammad, Bennie Briscoe, Joey Giardello, Mike Rossman,James Shuler, Eugene Hart and so many more great fighters over the years.

“My city is known for its great boxing history and I wear ‘The City of Philadelphia’ on my back,” Oberlton added. “In a few more years down the line, I see myself leading the next wave of Philly boxers. In fact, I feel like I am the wave, lige nu, as we speak. Everyone’s watching me. I will do them all proud, from both the old and young generations.

“I haven’t been to Russia and I’m looking forward to going there. It’s always good to see the world. I always like to go back where I’m from and try to convince others to see the world, because it’s much bigger than our neighborhood.”

Oberlton is like a chameleon in the ring, constantly changing and adjusting to his opponent. “I consider my style like water,” he concluded. “It’s wavy because I adjust to win, and I can beat any style. I can outsmart anybody, fighting mind over matter. Boxing is 80-percent mental, 20-percent physical, and I have it all.

“My short-term goal is to win gold at The Worlds and everything else leading to the Olympics. And winning no less than gold at the Olympics. My long-term goal is to be the greatest fighter to ever walk the universe.”

Confidence is definitely not a problem for Atif Oberlton.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing