By Per Ake Persson: It will be Ukrainian jr middle Roman Dzuman that takes on Alexander Abraham for the vacant EE-EU title on the undercard to Kessler vs Haussler on Saturday in Oldenburg. Cruiser Yoan Pablo Hernandez fights experienced American Michael Simms..
WBC Int´l cruiser champ Herbie Hide could be defending the title in Ekaterinburg, Russia, December 5 against Grigorz Drozd but this also depends on the outcome of Rudolf Kraj vs Giacobbe Fragomeni for the vacant WBC title October 24 and the result of the WBC convention in China. Hide could get a shot at the winner directly but there´s also the possibility of a final eliminator against Drozd.
You might say it´s heating up between WBA middle champ Felix Sturm and challenger Sebastian Sylvester for the big fight in Oberhausen November 1. There´s less than 1000 tickets left (the Koenig Pilsener Arena seats about 7000) and the press conference on Monday is billed as “High Noon”. It´s the first all German titlefight in eight years
WBC Int´l welter champ Selcuk Aydin headlines Arena Box Promotion´s show November 18 in Istanbul. Aydin face Said Ouali, born in Morocco but fighting out of Las Vegas. Also on the bill are heavies Steffen Kretschmann and Konstantin Airich as well as middleweight Lion Mahir.
Italian welter Cristian De Martinis has signed with Belgian manager Jean Diadori and takes on trialhorse Christian Frias November 1 in Izegem.
Mr Haussler, are you tired of life? Read the headline in a German tabloid hinting at Danilo Haussler´s chances against WBA supermiddle ruler Mikkel Kessler. Interviewed in a Sauerland press release Haussler claims he doesn´t care at all about what is written and that Calzaghe showed that Kessler has his weaknesses. Well, no-one´s perfect but mr Haussler, as brave as he is, isn´t the one to expose any vulnerabilities Kessler may have.
Former heavy champ “Merciless” Ray Mercer could be heading back to Sweden for a fight in Norrkoping November 21. The show is promoted by Champions Promotions headed by famous artist Soren Nicklasson and former WBU lightweight champ George Scott, who also trains some of the fighters in the team.
The WBC eliminator at welter between Jackson Osei Bonsu and Carlos Baldomir is now rumored to be on again and this time for December 20 with site remaining Antwerp. Osei Bonsu lost the EBU title to Rafael Jackiewicz in September but returned October 13 in Amsterdam with a points win over Romanian Gheorghe Danut but is said to have struggled.
Patrick Borkowski Named High Performance Director of USA Boxing
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – USA Boxing has named Patrick Borkowski as its High Performance Director, a recently created position for the organization. In his new role, Borkowski will design and manage a new High Performance approach and culture for the organization, with the goal of returning the United States to a position of performance leadership at the Olympic Games. He will begin serving in his new position on Tuesday, November 4.
“I’m very excited to join USA Boxing’s staff. My experience with the sport over the past six years has inspired me to concentrate my energy and efforts on amateur boxing,” Borkowski said. “I want to thank Jim Millman and the USOC for the opportunity to develop and implement an elite high performance model for the sport of boxing, and I’m looking forward to a successful future with the organization.”
Prior to joining USA Boxing, Borkowski spent six years with the United States Olympic Committee in their Performance Services Department. During his time with the USOC, Borkowski worked as both the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and more recently a Sport Physiologist for the Acrobat and Combat Sportfolio. He has worked with numerous USA Boxing international squads, including the 2007 Pan American Games and 2008 Olympic Teams, and traveled to several major events with the athletes to assist with their preparation on site.
“When any sports team adds new coaching and training talent that can help it improve, it’s a very positive step,” said USA Boxing CEO, Jim Millman. “In our case, we’ve got a super opportunity to install a fresh approach to elite athlete development, and I’m greatly looking forward to working with Patrick to do it.”
The hiring of a High Performance Director marks a new direction for USA Boxing and is the first piece of a three-member coaching staff the organization plans to put into place in preparation for the upcoming quadrennial period.
“We are extremely pleased that USA Boxing is moving in a new and modern direction with their coaching philosophy,” USOC Performance Services Team Leader Alan Ashley said. “Patrick has been a tremendous asset to the United States Olympic Committee and we believe he will bring outstanding energy and knowledge to his new position as the USA Boxing High Performance Director.”
In his six years with the United States Olympic Committee, Borkowski designed and implemented sport specific strength and conditioning programs for numerous Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic teams as well as creating a library of educational resources for coaches and athletes. In addition, he worked with National Governing Body coaching staffs to create comprehensive annual and quadrennial performance plans.
Patrick obtained a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from James Madison University prior to earning his Masters in Exercise Science and Biomechanics from the University of Mississippi.
USA Boxing will also be selecting a National Coach, and will announce the hiring process for the position in the coming weeks.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
2008 Youth World Championships Action to Kick off in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday, October 25
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The opening bout of the 2008 Youth World Championships is less than 24 hours away and the U.S. team is prepped and ready for the first major international event following the 2008 Olympic Games. Team USA traveled South to Guadalajara on Tuesday following an eight day training camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The event draw will take place on Saturday following the official weigh-in for all of the competitors. The United States is one of only five countries to enter a full squad, joining Cuba, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in fielding an 11-man team. Over 350 boxers from 68 nations are registered for the 2008 Youth World Championships, which features the top 17 and 18-year-old boxers from across the globe.
The AIBA Youth World Championships replaces the Junior World Championships, which was held for the first time in 1979 and ran through the 2006 event in Agadir, Morocco. Light welterweight Juan McPherson (Cleveland, Ohio) was the last U.S. boxer to claim gold at the event, winning the 2002 edition to break a 15-year drought for U.S. boxers at the tournament.
Three international competitors from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, are scheduled to compete with bantamweight Furkan Memis Ulas of Turkey, featherweight Oscar Valdez Fierro of host country Mexico and featherweight Luis Porozo of Ecuador all vying for gold in Guadalajara.
AIBA, the international federation for amateur boxing, will have live scoring of the event on their website at www.aiba.org, for all interested parties to watch.
The 11 boxers representing the United States are: light flyweight Oscar Cantu (Kingsville, Texas), flyweight Adam Lopez (San Antonio, Texas); bantamweight Joshua Berrelleza (Riverside, Calif.); featherweight Kevin Rivers (Fort Washington, Md.); lightweight Traon Bynum (Fort Washington, Md.); light welterweight Roscoe Hill IV (Spring, Texas); welterweight champion Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas); middleweight Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.); light heavyweight Robert Brant (Oakdale, Minn.); heavyweight champion Nicholas Kisner (Glen Burnie, Md.); and super heavyweight Joey Dawejko (Philadelphia, Pa.).
The event will be the World Championship competition for 10 of the 11 boxers competing in Guadalajara. Team Captain Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.) claimed a silver medal at the 2006 Cadet World Championships, an event for 15 and 16-year-olds.
2000 Olympic Coaches Candy Lopez (San Jose, Calif.) and Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.) as well as Bill Meartz (Portland, Ore.) will lead the team into action in Guadalajara. Bobby Lee (Hayden, Colo.) will serve as Team Leader with Don De Verges (Los Angeles, Calif.) working as the AIBA official. Dr. Garth Wright (Jackson, Tenn.) will serve as the Team Physician.
2008 AIBA Youth World Championships Schedule
Saturday, October 25
11 a.m. – Event Draw
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Preliminary Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Sunday, October 26
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Preliminary Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Monday, October 27
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Preliminary Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Tuesday, October 28
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Preliminary Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Wednesday, October 29
2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Preliminary Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Thursday, October 30
REST DAY
Friday, October 31
6 p.m. – Semifinal Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena
Saturday, November 1
4 p.m. – Final Round Action, Gymnasium Lopez Mateos Arena