Tag Archives: Rahim Gonzales

Las Vegas’ Rahim Gonzales Wins Gold and Boxer of Tournament on Final Day of 2023 Strandja Tournament

Rahim Gonzales wins gold at 2023 Strandja.jpg

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (February 27, 2023) —  Rahim Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.) picked up his third straight international gold medal yesterday on the final day of boxing at the 2023 Stranjda Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Gonzales took all five judges’ cards over Hambardzum Hakobyan of Armenia during today’s light heavyweight championship bout. All five judges scored the bout 30-27 to give Gonzales Team USA’s lone gold medal of the tournament and sixth medal overall.

The 2021 Elite Men’s World Champion path to gold included victories over Kristian Nikolov of Bulgaria (4-0), Kein Boakye Schumann of Germany (4-1) and Jasurbek Yuldoshev of Uzbekistan (5-0).

At the conclusion of the event Gonzales was also announced as the winner of the Runner-up Boxer of the Tournament award.

Gonzales gold resulted in six Team USA medals, as the team earned five bronze medals during Saturday’s semi-final bouts.

This marked the 74th edition of the Strandja Tournament and Team USA’s first time competing in the event since 2020. USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is leading the team at the tournament, along with Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas), Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), Jose Polanco (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Richard Stephenson (Middletown, N.Y.) and Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.). This year’s event featured over 375 boxers from around the world.

Finals Results

80 kg: Rahim Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Hambardzum Hakobyan/ARM, 5-0

INFORMATION:

Website: www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing, @therealrahim

Instagram: @USABoxing, @RahimGonzales

Facebook: /USABoxing, / RahimGonzalesEAGonzales

Four Team USA Boxers Advance to Finals of 2021 World Championships

USA Boxing logo.png
BELGRADE, Serbia (November 4, 2021) — Team USA’s impressive 2021 Elite Men’s World Championships will continue into the finals, as four boxers won their semifinal bouts to advance to their championship bout.
 
Flyweight Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas) kicked off the evening session for Team USA in dominating fashion over his opponent, Akhtem Zakirov, of the Russian Boxing Federation. Hill used his height to his full advantage over Zakirov to take all five judges’ cards every round. Hill will face the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan on Saturday.
 
The American will look to become the first American male featherweight World Champion since Rau’shee Warren accomplished the feat in 2007. Hill is also the first World Championships flyweight male medalist since 2011, when Warren won silver.
 
Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Md.) picked up his fourth win of these World Championships to secure his spot in the featherweight finals. Harvey, who was facing 2020 Olympian Samuel Kisohurry of France, began the bout extremely strong, taking all five judges’ cards at the end of the round. The American did not slow down in the second, taking all five cards again to have a comfortable lead heading into the final round.
 
Even with a 3-2 final round in favor of Kisohurry, the 18-year-old American claimed the unanimous decision to set up a final against 2020 Olympian Serik Temirzhanov of Kazakhstan on Saturday.
 
Rahim Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.) closed out the evening session with what may end up being the bout of the whole World Championships. Gonzales was faced with the tough task of taking to the ring with Serbia’s own Vladimir Mironchikov.
 
After seeing the first round go in favor of Mironchikov, 4-1, Gonzales came back strong in the second round, taking the round 3-2. With the bout on the line, the American light heavyweight did not back down and left it all in the ring to grab all five judges’ cards and the final decision, 3-2. Gonzales, who has earned just the fourth light heavyweight World Championship medal since 1974 and first medalists since Michael Simms gold in 1999, will step into the ring on Saturday with Aliaksei Alfiorau of Belarus. 
                                                                                                      
Welterweight Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.) was scheduled to go head-to-head against Georgia’s Lasha Guruli in the first session of the day, however, Guruli pulled out of the competition due to injury, advancing Jones to the finals against 2020 Olympian Sewonrets Okazawa of Japan, tomorrow.
 
Jones is now guaranteed either a silver or gold medal in his World Championships debut and becomes the first American male to win a welterweight World Championships medal since Demetrius Andrade won gold in 2007.
 
Jones will compete in tomorrow’s first day of finals, while Harvey, Hill and Gonzales will take to the ring on Saturday. Click here to follow all the action.
 
Semifinal Results
51 kg: Roscoe Hill, Spring, Texas/USA, dec. over Akhtem Zakirov/RBF, 5-0
57 kg: Jahmal Harvey, Oxon Hill, Md./USA, dec. over Samuel Kistohurry/FRA, 5-0
67 kg: Omari Jones, Orlando, Fla./USA, won by walkover over Lasha Guruli/GEO, WO
80 kg: Rahim Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Vladimir Mironchikov/SRB, 3-2

2020 Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame Announcement Ceremony Photos

Photos by Anthony Saldana / NVBHOF


LAS VEGAS, NV (March 10, 2020) – The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class of inductees today at the Fernando Vargas Fighting Foundation in Las Vegas. Inductees in attendance were, 2-Time World Champion Fernando Vargas, 2-Time World Champion, Bones Adams, WBC Lightweight Champion, Devin Haney, who was voted Fighter of the Year, Prospect of the Year, Rolando Romero, and Saalim Gonzales, father of Amateur Fighter of the Year, Rahim Gonzales. The group was introduced by NVBHOF founder, Rich Morrata, and President Michelle Corrales


The 8th Annual Induction Weekend takes place at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 7th & 8th, 2020. For more information please visitwww.nvbhof.com

The 2020 Induction Class includes 


Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas (26-5, 22 KO’s)
Clarence “Bones” Adams (44-7-4, 20 KOs)
Andre “SOG” Ward (32-0, 16 KOs)
James “Lights Out” Toney (77-10-3, 47 KOs)
Miguel Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs)
Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson (44-5-1, 28 KOs)
Julian “The Hawk” Jackson (55-6, 49 KOs)
Azumah “The Professor” Nelson (39-6-2, 28 KOs)
Danny “Little Red” Lopez (42-6, 39 KOs)
Jose Luis Castillo (66-13-1, 57 KOs)


Non-Boxer Inductees includes


Carlos Padilla
Lorenzo Fertitta
Sammy Macias
Jose Sulaiman


2019 Fighter of the Year
Devin Haney (24-0, 14 KO’s)


2019 Prospect of the Year
Rolando “Rolly” Romero (11-0, 10 KOs)


2019 Amateur of the Year
Rahim Gonzales
  


For more information about the event and Sponsorship Opportunities, Please Contact:


Chief Executive Officer Michelle Corrales-Lewis


Phone: 702-3-NVBHOF (702-368-2463)          Email:  michelle@nvbhof.com

USA Boxing Announces 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Qualification Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (January 29, 2020) — USA Boxing announced today the 13 boxers who will represent Team USA at the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games Tokyo Boxing Qualification Events, as well as the 13 alternates. A full list can be seen below. 

The team was announced following the two-stage qualification process that began in December at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing in Lake Charles and concluded at the recent 2020 Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. The full athlete selection procedure can be seen here.

“First of all, this was a very difficult decision,” stated USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh. “Some of these boxers were neck and neck between training camp and the 2020 Standja Tournament.”

“We feel the 13 boxers that earned their place on the Olympic Qualification Team will be the best team to represent Team USA at the upcoming qualifiers, as well as have the best opportunity to qualify a full team to the 2020 Olympic Games Tokyo.”

All 13 boxers will have two chances to punch their ticket to Tokyo. The first will take place at the America’s Qualification tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26 – April 3. Boxers who do not qualify in Argentina will have one final opportunity at the World Qualifier in Paris, France, May 13-24. Click here for more information on how boxers qualify

The boxers, as well as several training partners, will return to the United States Olympics and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Feb. 5 for their next training camp. 

Follow USA Boxing on social media to stay up to date on training and news of the Olympic Qualification Team. 

USA Boxing Olympic Qualification Team
51 kg: Virginia Fuchs, Houston, Texas
52 kg: Anthony Herrera, Los Angeles, Calif.
57 kg: Andrea Medina, San Diego, Calif.
57 kg: Bruce Carrington, Brooklyn, N.Y.
60 kg: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass.
63 kg: Keyshawn Davis, Norfolk, Va.
69 kg: Oshae Jones, Toledo, Ohio
69 kg: Delante Johnson, Cleveland, Ohio
75 kg: Naomi Graham, Fayetteville, N.C.
75 kg: Joseph Hicks, Grand Rapids, Mich.
81 kg: Rahim Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev.
91 kg: Darius Fulghum, Houston, Texas
91+ kg: Richard Torrez Jr., Tulare, Calf. 

USA Boxing Olympic Qualification Team Alternates
51 kg: Christina Cruz, Hell’s Kitchen, N.Y.
52 kg: Abraham Perez, Albuquerque, N.M.
57 kg: Lupe Gutierrez, Sacramento, Calif.
57 kg: David Navarro, Los Angeles, Calif.
60 kg: Amelia Moore, Alexandria, Va.
63 kg: Ernesto Mercado, Pomona, Calif.
69 kg: Briana Che, Madison, Wisc.
69 kg: Freudis Rojas Jr., Dallas, Texas
75 kg: Morelle McCane, Cleveland, Ohio
75 kg: Javier Martinez, Milwaukee, Wisc.
81 kg: Atif Oberlton, Philadelphia, Pa.
91 kg: Jamar Talley, Camden, N.J.
91+ kg: Antonio Mireles, Des Moines, Iowa

 INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

ABOUT 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. Additionally, USA Boxing endeavors to teach all participants the character, confidence and focus they need to become resilient and diverse champions, both in and out of the ring. USA Boxing is one team, one nation, going for gold!