Category Archives: Olympics

Ukrainian legend Wladimir Klitschko backs World Boxing in its bid to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement

October 17, 2024 FNU47 Leave a comment

RENES, Lausanne, Switzerland (October 16, 2024) – Former multiple world heavyweight champion and Atlanta 1996 gold medalist, Wladimir Klitschko, has backed World Boxing and its President, Boris van der Vorst, in their bid to ensure that boxing remains a part of the Olympic Movement.

Speaking in a specially recorded 39-second video clip, the Ukrainian legend explained why he believes boxing should remain part of the Olympic Games and expressed confidence in World Boxing and its President to deliver this.

Klitschko said: “Boxing is one of the most spectacular and oldest sports in the Olympic program. Speaking as the 1996 Olympic Champion I want to advocate that boxing must be safe for LA2028.

“Boxing stands as a brilliant sport and is so good at delivering on the values of the Olympic Charter through the diversity of the athletes and in the number of countries taking part.

“I support World Boxing, and its President Boris van der Vorst in their efforts to achieve this goal and believe they can keep the Olympic dreams of boxers alive.”

Wladimir Klitschko represented Ukraine at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta where he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division. From 1996 to 2017 he competed as a professional boxer where he held multiple versions of the world heavyweight title.

Boris van der Vorst added: “Wladimir Klitschko is one of the most widely admired boxers in the recent history of the sport, who has achieved an enormous amount both inside and outside of the ring, so it is great for World Boxing to have the support of such a hugely respected and knowledgeable figure.

“As someone who achieved great success in both Olympic-style and professional boxing, Wladimir completely understands the pivotal importance of the Olympic Games to boxing and the way it provides inspiration and opportunities for boxers to pursue their dreams at all levels in every part of the world. “That Wladimir has chosen to express his public support for World Boxing is a clear signal of the widespread recognition amongst people that care about the sport of the need for change in international boxing and the critical importance of ensuring that boxing is restored to the program for Los Angeles 2028 and continues to remain a part of the Olympic Movement.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to keep Boxing in the Olympic Games. On 7 May 2024, it held the first formal meeting with the IOC which signaled the start of formal collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

Further information on World Boxing is available at www.worldboxing.org

For further media information, contact World Boxing’s media representatives at:

§ Media@worldboxing.org

§ Lee Murgatroyd, Director, Point Communications Ltd

o Email: lee.murgatroyd@pointcommunications.co

o Tel: +44 7974 161 166

§ Zack Chavez, Communications and Digital Media Manager, USA Boxing

o Email: zchavez@usaboxing.org

o Tel: (806) 283-2502

World Boxing

World Boxing is a non-profit international federation set up to administer the sports of Olympic-style boxing, Paralympic boxing (otherwise called “Adaptive boxing”) and E-sport boxing. It is a civil association founded for an unlimited period of time having its own legal identity as a non-profit organization in accordance with Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code. World Boxing is under the jurisdiction of Switzerland.

World Boxing on social media at:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing/

X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealWorldBoxing

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing

World Boxing’s website is www.worldboxing.org.

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Statik 360 is the Best Charger Cord You Will Ever Own

March 25, 2023 FNU47 Leave a comment

Take it from the guys at Fight News Unlimited. We love this product. It is durable, practical and will keep your hassles with phone charging to a minimum. Check it out:

amateur boxing, Olympics, women's boxing

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 Leave a comment

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. team. The Olympics is the hardest tournament to medal in and all of you showed a lot of grit, hard work, determination and skill,” Shields said.

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 (featherweight) and Keyshawn Davis (lightweight), and California’s Richard Torrez Jr, (super heavyweight) 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) at the 2000 Olympics.

The 2020 Olympic Games featured the addition of two women’s weight divisions, bantamweight (119 lbs) and welterweight (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,” said 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 Salita of Salita Promotions, 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,” said Salita.

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

Split-T Management signs Heavyweight Prospect Antonio Mireles; 2020 USA Super Heavyweight Olympic Trial Champion

July 21, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

2020 USA Super Heavyweight Olympic Trial Champion

boxing, Olympics

Three Fighter Locker stable members competing in The Olympics

June 9, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

BOSTON (June 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 (Armenia), Oscar Collazo (Puerto Rico) and Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov (Uzbekistan).

Martinez lost in the 2018 Olympic championship final to Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy 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 Central American and Caribbean Games, and bronze at the 2017 World Amateur Championships.

Another 2-time Olympian is Dominican Republic lightweight Lionel de los Santos, who is rated No. 3 by AIBA behind Lazaro Jorge Alvarez (Cuba) and Tsendbaster 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 medalist Lazaro Alvarez, the 3-time World amateur champion and 2-time Olympic bronze medalist.

The third Fighter Locker Olympian is Colombian middleweight Jorge 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,” manager Ryan 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 flyweight Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (21-1, 6 KOs), Troy, NY ABF American West super lightweight Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (12-0, 9 KOs), Toronto, Canada welterweight West Haven, CT super welterweight Jimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams (17-5-2, 6 KOs), super middleweight “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (7-0, 4 KOs), U.S. Army super bantamweight Daniel Bailey, Jr. (5-0, 4 KOs), lightweight Leonel de los Santos (2-0, 2 KOs), a 2-time Dominican Republic Olympian, Boston featherweightTroy Anderson, Jr. (1-0, 1 KO), pro-debuting Dominican Republic welterweight Juan Solano, and Salt Lake City, 2016 Brazilian Olympic silver medalist Yuberjen Martinez, Brazilian Olympian Jorge 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 lightweight Ignacio Chairez (8-0-1, 5 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (3-0-1, 2 KOs).

INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com

FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker

TWITTER: @RoachRyan

INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82

ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Established in 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.

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

Six Team USA Boxers Punch Ticket to Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

May 15, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 12, 2021) — The Boxing Task Force (BTF) announced today the 49 quota places, originally to be awarded at the Road to Tokyo Americas Qualifier, that were awarded to boxers to compete in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 this summer. The quota places included six Team USA boxers, which was based off the BTF Rankings.

“These six boxers have been staples within our program and have established themselves amongst the world’s best by their performances during the past quad,” stated USA Boxing High Performance Director Matt Johnson. “Now it is time for them to perform at the world’s biggest stage in Tokyo.”

Representing Team USA at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, pending United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee approval, will be Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) Virginia Fuchs(Houston, Texas), Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, N.C.), Delante Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio), Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) and Richard Torrez Jr. (Tulare, Calif.). All six boxers will be competing in their first Olympic Games.

2019 Elite Women’s World Championships bronze medalist Ellis will compete in the women’s lightweight (132 lbs./60 kg) division. Ellis won bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games to add to her BTF rankings to solidify her position in Tokyo as the second highest ranked America’s boxer and 12^th overall in her weight class. Ellis will be looking to win Team USA’s first women’s lightweight Olympic medal.

“Qualifying for the Olympics has been one of my deepest dreams,” mentioned Ellis. “I never doubt my ability. I have stopped being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right. So, I embrace my mistakes and learn from them, as my mistakes have helped me improve and reach the Olympics. I don’t do easy; I make things happen. The hard work and dedication with effort and determination, I can succeed.”

Fuchs will represent Team USA in the flyweight division (112 lbs./51 kg). The 33-year-old will be looking to earn USA Boxing its second medal in the women’s flyweight division since the introduction of the event in London 2012. Fuchs brings an impressive resume to the ring, including a bronze medal at the 2018 Elite Women’s World Championships and silver medal from the 2019 Pan American Games, which places her as the second highest America’s flyweight boxer and 16^th overall in the BTF rankings.

“I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I am so excited I can finally call myself an Olympian,” stated Fuchs. “With all this world has been through and having to postpone the Olympics a whole year, I am proud to say I am one of the participants in what will be known as the most recognized Olympics in history. I am ready to represent my country in the most respected way and bring home the gold!”

2019 Pan American Games Graham is the highest seeded America’s female middleweight (165 lbs./75 kg) boxer in the BTF rankings, where she currently sits eighth overall. Graham earned points from her Pan American Games title, as well as her third-place finish at the 2018 Elite Women’s World Championships and top five finish at the 2019 edition. Graham, who will become USA Boxing’s first active female military member to compete in an Olympic Games, will be in contention to grab Team USA’s third straight Olympic gold medal in the women’s middleweight division.

“It feels unreal that I am going to the Olympics,” Graham stated when talking about earning her place to Tokyo. “I continue to surprise myself by finding my own limits, and then having the courage to blow past them.”

Joneswill step into the ring in one of the two newly added women’s weight classes, the welterweight (152 lbs./69 kg) division. Jones, who made history in 2019 with her gold medal performance at the Pan American Games, will look to continue making history by becoming the first Olympic gold medalists in her weight division. The 23-year-old added valuable points to her rankings with her top five placement at the 2019 Elite Women’s World Championships to finish as the top America’s boxer and seventh in the overall BTF rankings for the welterweight division to punch her ticket to the Olympics.

“I may only take up one spot, but my one spot represents so much,” shared Jones. “I’m beyond grateful for the chance to represent women, African Americans, my small city of Toledo, but most importantly, my country.”

The second Ohioan to represent Team USA, Johnson, extends the streak of Cleveland-native boxing Olympians to four, following in the footsteps of Charles Conwell (2016), Terrell Gausha (2012) and Raynell Williams (2008). The welterweight (152 lbs./69 kg), who first caught the attention of the boxing world with his gold medal performance at the 2016 Youth World Championships, earned his ranking points through his bronze medal finish at the 2019 Pan American Games and top 16 placement at the 2019 Elite World Championships. Johnson was the third highest seeded America’s boxer and 19^th overall.

“My struggles are my stripes, and I wear them on my back, so that the people around me can see that even when you’re living in a jungle, you can still chase your dreams,” stated Johnson. “I am not only doing this for my city, but for my two coaches, Dante Benjamin Sr. and Clint Martin, whom I lost during my journey to these Games.”

Torrez, the highest ranked super heavyweight (201+ lbs./91+ kg) boxer from the Americas and 11^th overall, earned his place through his third-place performance at the 2019 Pan American Games and top five standing at that year’s Elite Men’s World Championships. Torrez, a former Youth World Championships bronze medalist, will be the first American boxer to compete in this weight class since 2012.

“Everyone is happy they’re going to the Olympics, it’s everyone’s dream, but I need to be there,” said Torrez. “The fire that was instilled in me before I could even walk, that drives me to be the best, the fire that has been in my family for generations, has overflowed. It has set ablaze all my second options, and it has made ashes of any other possibility besides that of success.”

Team USA will be guided by USA Boxing National Head Coach Billy Walsh during these Olympic Games.

“It is fantastic news for our six boxers who have worked endlessly for the past five years to become an Olympian,” Walsh shared. “We now focus on the next stage of the process, to become an Olympic Champion.”

The boxing competition will begin on Saturday, July 24^th (JST). Continue to check usaboxing.org and USA Boxing’s social media platforms to stay updated on more information regarding the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

All team nominations are subject to USOPC approval.

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!

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

Third-Generation Boxer Kayla Gomez Cornered by Mother and Grandmother / 2020 USA National Boxing Championships Mar. 25-Apr. 4, in Shreveport, Louisiana

March 15, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 15, 2021) – There is no more of a family affair in USA Boxing than Kayla Gomez’s, in which her mother, Crystal Aceves, and grandmother, Cindy Aceves, work her corner.

They will be together once again 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.

The 18-year-old Gomez, who lives in El Paso (TX), is a youth flyweight (112 lbs.) boxer, who finished second at the 2019 National Championships, highlighting her first year in Youth competition. She has a growing supply of gold medals having finished on top at the 2019 & 2018 Western Regional Open, 2018 & 2017 Junior Open Championships, and 2018 & 2017 Eastern Regional Open. She is also a 5-time National Junior Olympic champion (2015 through 2019).

A self-described multi-dimensional boxer, Kayla is a counter puncher and consummate boxer, displaying veteran-like “ringmanship,” but also capable of being a technical brawler and pressure fighter. She first started boxing in 2012 after watching a documentary on the 2012 Olympics.

“The inspiration of the boxers training to earn a gold medal motivated me to learn this unique sport,” Gomez explained. “I dedicate my whole life to boxing and as of right now, amateur boxing has impacted my life in a positive manner, paving my way in the near future to earn different accolades and experience for an Olympic gold medal and my pro career.”

Her mother, Crystal, is an amateur boxer who has competed in many tournaments. She will not compete in these championships this year because she is fully focused right now on her daughter and her future. She will be competing at other 2021 tournaments.

“As a boxer, my mom knows what it’s like to be in my position, so instead of getting mad at me, she gives me alternatives to do when I’m feeling low or not myself to have a better chance of being the best fighter I can be,” Kayla explained what it’s like having her mother and grandmother working her corner. “We all have a great relationship and work well in the ring together. They understand what it’s like to be in my position.”

A high school senior, Kayla is in a K-12 program for an online school due to her busy schedule. She does plan to attend college and share her boxing with educational opportunities.

“My education is just as important as my boxing,” She concluded. “I will attend college and work really hard to accomplish my goal of earning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics and beginning my pro career afterwards.”

Kayla Gomez is a legacy boxer with a promising future.

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, Olympics, USA Boxing

Syracuse’s Amir Anderson Goes from underdog to top dog

March 15, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

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 2^nd, 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

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

USA Boxing Converts Abandoned Department Store Into National Training Gym for Preparations for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

January 23, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) – When the boxers of the USA Boxing Olympic Qualification Team arrived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. this week they walked into a new training facility with just over six months left until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and even less time to their qualification tournaments.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, USA Boxing athletes have not been allowed to train in the national boxing gym at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center (USOPTC) since March 2020 and have had to continue to make adjustments to their training plans, which included training at the French National Training Center in Paris in late 2020.

After being told they would not be allowed to begin 2021 at the USOPTC, the coaching and national office staff had to find a new home to begin the final preparations for the qualification tournaments taking place in May and June.

“After spending most of 2020 waiting to be allowed entry back into our national gym at the Colorado Springs OPTC, it was time that we took matters into our own hands and established a training space that can properly accommodate our team’s training needs,” said Matt Johnson, USA Boxing High Performance Director.

USA Boxing ended 2020 and the beginning of 2021 moving all equipment, which included four boxing rings, numerous heavy bags and strength and conditioning equipment, from their gym at the USOPTC to an abandoned department store in a mall in Colorado Springs to hold training camps, while housing the boxers and coaching staff at the nearby Hotel Eleganté.

“We are able to continue to move forward in this COVID environment by applying multi-layer protection protocols, pre-travel testing, mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, regular cleaning, regular rapid antigen testing, daily health surveys and follow up PRC pool testing, as well as provide a top notch training facility in our temporary facility, which we are greatly thankful for John Bushman, owner of Hotel Eleganté and the training facility, to help provide these opportunities to our boxers,” stated Mike McAtee, USA Boxing Executive Director.

“The training facility and environment we have created has greatly reduced the risk to our boxers and coaches. USA Boxing strives to fulfill our stated mission to our boxers, ‘… (to) inspire the tireless pursuit of Olympic gold and enable our boxers and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence…’ in the face of a worldwide pandemic.”

The first training camp of 2021 began Jan. 14 and will run until Feb. 18, before the boxers head to Bulgaria and Spain for international competitions. USA Boxing will hold the final training camp before the America’s Olympic Qualification Tournament at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, in Chula Vista, Calif., in another makeshift boxing gym, which held the final training camp of 2020 in November.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing, @USABoxingAlumni

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

The one and only 1956 olympic gold medalist pete rademacher

September 2, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 27, 2020) – 1956 Olympic gold medalist Pete Rademacher is 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 amateur record, 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, including the 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 African Daan Bekker in the semifinals, and the Soviet Union’s Lev 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 champion Floyd Patterson (32-1) on August 22, 1957 in Seattle. Rademacher floored Patterson in the second round, however, he was dropped six times before the fight, which was refereed by Hall of Famer Tommy 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 challenger George Chuvalo (17-3-1) and future Hall of Famer and World middleweight champion Bobo Olson(87-12), both by way of 10-round unanimous decisions, as well as technical knockouts over LaMar Clark (42-1) and Norwegian Buddy Thurman (32-5-1), respectively, in the 10^th and ninth rounds.

Rademacher’s pro losses were to some of the best heavyweights in the world, such as Hall of Famer Archie Moore, along with world title challengers Karl Mildenberger (29-1), undefeated Doug Jones (17-0) and Zorro Foley (40-2-2), who had been Rademacher’s arch-rival in the amateur ranks.

USA Boxing Alumni Association

Created to champion lifelong, mutually beneficial relationships between USA Boxing and its alumni, –boxers, 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 at alumni@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

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