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boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

Syracuse’s Amir Anderson Goes from underdog to top dog

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2020 USA National Boxing Championships 

Mar. 25-Apr. 4, in Shreveport, Louisiana 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 8, 2021) – In the 2019 USA National Boxing Championships, Amir Anderson was a relatively unknown competitor from Syracuse (N.Y.), but this year he believes he’s one of the “top dogs” in the 165-pound decision. 

Anderson will be competing in the youth division at the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic from last December to March 25 April 3, in Shreveport, La. 

Anderson’s goal at these championships is simple: he wants to win to lock down a slot on the USA Boxing Youth Team, which will give him a leg up in terms of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. 

“The winner in each weight class qualifies for the USA Boxing Youth Team,” he explained.  “Runner-ups are alternates and can make the team if the winner can’t for whatever reason. I want to win! 

“Last time I had nothing to lose at Nationals. Now, I have everything to lose. I do my research and breakdown other fighters in my weight class.  I’ll be more focused this time because I was an underdog then and now, I’m the top dog in my division.” 

The 17-year-old Anderson has already tasted success, capturing top honors at the 2019 Junior Open and 2019 Eastern Regional Open, in addition to finishing in the runner-up position at the 2018 & 2019 National Junior Olympics. 

Still a high school senior, Amir describes himself as an all-around boxer with a unique style in which he can box or bang, hit the angles and throw a lot of punches. 

Like every amateur boxer, last year was a tremendous challenge to train, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.  “I trained six hours a day in my basement to get in really good workouts,” Anderson said. “And I ran my miles, too. When my gym opened-up last July 2nd, it was limited so I had to still workout in my basement. It was hard to stay focused, but I knew how. 

“I really planned to win a lot of regional and national tournaments to get national recognition. I wanted to fight in Bulgaria with the junior team, but that was canceled, too. The pandemic was a setback for me, but we’ll see what’s in store for 2021.” 

The National Championships is the first trip towards Amir Anderson’s Parisian goal for 2024 at the Olympics. 

INFORMATION: 

www.usaboxing.org 

Twitter: @USABoxing, @USABoxingAlumni 

Instagram: @USABoxing 

Facebook: /USABoxing 

ABOUT USA BOXING:  The mission of USA Boxing shall be to enable United States’ athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence, develop character, support the sport of boxing, and promote and grow Olympic style boxing in the United States.  The responsibility of USA Boxing is not only to produce Olympic gold, but also oversee and govern every aspect of amateur boxing in the United States.

boxing, USA Boxing

Shreveport to Host 2020 USA Boxing National Championships

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Louisiana city to host USA Boxing’s Return to National Stage
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (Sept. 18) – USA Boxing announced today the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships will now take place at the Shreveport Convention Center in Shreveport, La., Dec. 5-12.
 
“Hurricane Laura wreaked havoc on the city of Lake Charles and rendered their Civic Center inhospitable for this year’s National Championships.  This came on top of the pandemic which already nearly wiped out the 2020 National Tournament calendar,” stated Michael Campbell, USA Boxing Events and Operations Manager.  “Our events staff immediately pivoted and was determined to replace the event with as little disruption as possible for our coaches and boxers that had been training with their goals fixed on participating in this event to end the year.”
 
“Shreveport stepped up quickly to provide us a great alternative within the same footprint as the planned event, therefore we could keep our same scheduled dates and remain in the great state of Louisiana. Shreveport will provide good accessibility, weather and hospitality for our members and their Convention Center will be ideal for the implementation of our #BackToBoxing protocols that are designed to ensure the safety of our boxers, coaches, officials and members of the community.”
 
“Shreveport, Bossier City, and the State of Louisiana are proud to host the 2020 National Boxing Championships in December,” said Kelly Wells, Executive Director for the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. “Primarily, I would like to acknowledge my unwavering respect for Lake Charles and their investment in USA Boxing, which ultimately highlights Louisiana as a destination for national, elite sporting events.”
“As they recover from the detrimental effects of Hurricane Laura, Shreveport-Bossier is excited to keep this event within our state, which is expected to bring an estimated $2 million in economic impact to the area. We’re honored to welcome approximately 1,000 athletes to Shreveport-Bossier, as well as their coaches, friends, families and other boxing enthusiasts. On behalf of the Sports Commission team and Shreveport-Bossier community, I would like to thank the USA Boxing family for entrusting us with this incredible event, as well as Lt. Governor Nungesser, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Shreveport Convention Center, Hilton Shreveport and the local boxing community. We’ll deliver nothing less than world-class hospitality in sportsman’s paradise.”
Registration for the event will open Oct. 1. The fact sheet, which will include check-in information, hotels and schedule will be released in the coming days.
 
As a reminder, due to COVID-19 and being the sole USA Boxing tournament in 2020, this year’s National Championships will be an open tournament, with a minimum bout requirement, for pee-wee to elite divisions. Boxers competing in Olympic/International Federation weight divisions in junior, youth and elite age groups will be competing for their place on Team USA’s High Performance teams. Complete selection procedures will be announced in the next few weeks. More information about High Performance can be found here.
 
This year’s championships will also have other changes to help provide a safer and easier tournament experience for our members, including staggered check-in days, set late coaches check-in hours, no general weigh-in, as well as a quota for all weight classes. All important changes and information will be released here.
 
Continue to check USABoxing.org and USA Boxing’s social media platforms for important updates on this year’s tournament.

Tournament Information
Venue: Shreveport Convention Center
Registration Opens: Oct. 1
Registration Closes: Nov. 30
Early Check-in: Dec. 5
Full Check-in: Dec. 6
Staggered Check-in: Dec. 7-10
First day of bouts: Dec. 7