(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The 2006 U.S. Championships will kick off on March 6 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., as the nation’s top amateur boxers face off for the first national title of 2006. Final round competition will be contested on March 11 at the Sheraton Colorado Springs Hotel Grand Ballroom. Championship night is being co-hosted by USA Boxing and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.. Tickets are now on sale through www.ticketswest.com and all Tickets West locations.
The U.S. Championships are the premier amateur boxing event of the year with the winners going on to represent the United States in international competitions throughout the world. 2004 Olympian and 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) will return into 2006 looking to duplicate his 2005 national championship title. Fellow 2005 World Championships medalist and 2005 USA Boxing Athlete of the Year Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) will vie for his second straight U.S. Championships title after grabbing the bantamweight division at only 16-years-old in 2005.
General admission tickets are available for $20 at all Tickets West locations and if purchased prior to March 1 will feature a $5 discount. Preferred seating tables of 10 are available for $350 and VIP tables of 10 are on sale for $650. Each preferred seating and VIP ticket bought before March 1st will also be discounted $5. All VIP tickets will include a hospitality package beginning at 5:30 at the Sheraton Colorado Springs. To purchase VIP Ringside tables, preferred seating tables and general admission tickets, contact Tickets West at (719) 576-2626 or www.ticketswest.com. For group sales, contact the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation at (719) 634-7333 x1000.
Final round action will begin at 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Colorado Springs Hotel Grand Ballroom with 11 action-packed bouts on tap. The 2006 U.S. Championships are returning to Colorado Springs for the fourth straight year following a one-year hiatus in 2002.
The Everlast Men’s U.S. Boxing Championships have been held annually since 1888, making it the longest running boxing tournament in the United States. Numerous Olympic and professional boxing champions got their start at the U.S. Championships including Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Oscar de la Hoya and current World Champions Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Antonio Tarver, Jermain Taylor and Jeff Lacy.
USA Boxing is the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic-style boxing. As the NGB, USA Boxing is responsible for the administration, development and promotion of Olympic-style boxing in the United States. Headquartered at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, USA Boxing oversees a host of programs – from developing the sport and its athletes at the local, regional and national levels, to sponsoring national and international competitions to selecting teams for international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games.