(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The United States squad has completed their week-long training camp and will test their skills against China tonight on Empires Collide, an international duel event in New York’s Chinatown. Due to injuries to the Chinese representatives in the flyweight and heavyweight divisions, there will be 11 bouts of action on Friday night’s card, including eight men’s bouts and three women’s contests..
The two bouts featuring Chinese Olympic medalists will headline Friday night’s event as the final two matches of the evening. Team USA’s light flyweight Santos Vaquez (Sun Valley, Nev.) will face 2008 Olympic Champion Zou Chiming of China and United States super heavyweight Danny Kelly (Washington DC) will battle China’s 2008 Olympic silver medalist Zhilei Zhang.
The U.S. team, which included flyweight Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) and heavyweight Joshua Temple (St. Louis, Mo.) arrived in Bushkill, Pa., on Friday, September 24 for a short preparatory training camp and is now prepared for tonight’s action. They hosted an open workout for local press on Thursday afternoon at the Crunch Gym in Manhattan with the support of USA Boxing equipment and apparel sponsor, Everlast, and are now primed and ready for Friday’s event. While Cartagena and Temple don’t have opponents for tonight’s event, they will be on hand to support their U.S. teammates.
The U.S. coaches leading the team into action are Joe Higgins (New York, N.Y.), Don Givens (Linden, N.J.), and Gloria Peek (Norfolk, Va.). On the Chinese side, two well-known American coaches, Hall of Famer Lou Duva and 1996 U.S. Olympic Head Coach Al Mitchell, have been working with the Chinese team and they will partner up in the corner at the event.
Tickets for “Empires Collide” are priced at $120 for Ringside, $70 for Reserved and $25 for standing room/general admission. The Reserved and Ringside seats include two complimentary beverages. They may be ordered by calling 973-291-4529 or by email at tickets@empirescollide.com. For more information, fans can go to EmpiresCollide.com. Special VIP and sponsor packages are also available.
Over 500 Boxers to Convene in San Antonio for the 2010 National PAL Championships, October 4-9
Male Boxers to Begin Olympic Trials Qualifying in San Antonio
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – With the 2012 Olympic Games quickly approaching, the nation’s top Olympic-style boxers will officially kick off the journey to London at the 2010 National PAL Championships in San Antonio, Texas, October 4-9. The annual national championship event will serve as the first Olympic Trials qualifier for the open division male competitors and the opening Pan American Games Trials qualifying tournament for the female boxers.
More than 500 boxers in the four different age categories and both male and female divisions are slated to compete in the 2010 National PAL Championships, which will take place for the second straight year at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio. Preliminary action will begin on Monday, October 4 and the event will run through Saturday, October 9.
As the first Olympic Trials qualifier, the 2010 National PAL Championships will showcase the best male boxers in the United States, including two-time Olympian and 2007 World Champion Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio), two-time welterweight national champion Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) and reigning USA Boxing light welterweight national champion Pedro Sosa (New York, N.Y.).
In addition to making their Olympic Games debut in 2012 with three weight classes being contested, women’s boxing will be showcased for the first time at the Pan American Games in 2011. 2010 USA Boxing middleweight national champion and 2008 World Championships silver medalist Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) leads a strong contingent of female open division competitors with former national champions Patricia Manuel (Long Beach, Calif.), Cynthia Moreno (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) all slated to compete in San Antonio.
The National PAL Championships provide the rare opportunity for boxers in various age groups and weight divisions to compete in a major national competition. Junior action will be contested in the 11-12-year-old, 13-14-year-old, and 15-16-year-old age groups in both the male and female divisions.
The National PAL Championships served as the first Olympic Trials qualifier in 2008 as well and two of the 2006 National Champions, flyweight Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) went on to make the 2008 Olympic Team.
Tickets for the 2010 National PAL Championships will be available for purchase at the door for only $5 and weekly passes may be purchased on site as well. Two sessions per day are tentatively scheduled for Monday-Friday’s action. All of the competitors are scheduled to arrive over the weekend, and the final schedule of competition sessions will be confirmed following the weekend’s registration.
The following competitors are scheduled to compete in the event, but the final list of participants is subject to change prior to the beginning of the tournament on Monday, October 4.
Miami is Named a Host City for the World Series of Boxing
The Miami-Dade Sports Commission to Serve as the Management Group for the Miami Franchise of the World Series of Boxing
(MIAMI, FLA.) – The city of Miami has been selected as a host city for one of the 12 World Series of Boxing (WSB) global franchises, WSB Chairman and International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) President, Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, announced Monday. The Miami-Dade Sports Commission will serve as the management group for the Miami franchise, which will be one of three WSB squads based in the United States.
“I am delighted to officially announce Miami as one of the 12 global World Series of Boxing franchise teams,” said President Wu. “I believe that we have found an excellent partner in the Miami-Dade Sports Commission, as well as a world-class venue in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Put together with the top athletes who have committed to the Miami team, this means that the revolutionary new World Series of Boxing competition has an excellent foundation for its first season in Miami.”
Miami-Dade Sports Commission Executive Director Mike Sophia will lead the organization as the General Manager of the Miami franchise, and he has already secured a top-level venue for the Miami squad. The AmericanAirlines Arena, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat, will host all of the Miami franchise home contests.
“The Miami-Dade Sports Commission will be an outstanding partner as we work to create a home for the World Series of Boxing and our athletes in Miami,” said WSB Americas Managing Director Eric Parthen. “Mike Sophia and the commission staff possess valuable knowledge and experience in promoting and executing high-level sporting events in this area, and we look forward to creating a top notch sports franchise in Miami.”
The Miami-Dade Sports Commission opened its doors in 2004 and has secured over 50 major events and created $150 million in economic impact since that time. “We are thrilled to bring this revolutionary boxing concept to Miami,” Sophia said. “Miami boasts a long and storied boxing tradition and hosting a World Series of Boxing franchise will add a new and exciting chapter to Miami sports history. I am excited to work with the WSB staff, our athletes and coaches to develop a fresh and unique fan experience in the Miami sports scene.”
The Miami franchise will enjoy high level leadership in the corner as well. 1996 Olympic Coach Pat Burns will serve as the franchise head coach following an illustrious career in both amateur and professional boxing. Burns is a familiar figure in the Miami area, having held numerous training camps in Miami.
Burns will lead a strong squad of 14 talented athletes into action at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The Miami roster includes a diverse mix of decorated American and foreign boxers that will be publicly announced within the next 2 weeks.
The World Series of Boxing is a unique professional boxing league created by AIBA to will reunite the broader boxing world and its grassroots foundation, provide a bridge between Olympic boxing and professional boxing, and grow the sport’s fan base in the United States and throughout the world. All of the World Series of Boxing athletes will maintain their amateur eligibility.