Austin Trout wants Saul Alvarez; USA Boxing Announces the 2012 U.S. Olympic Games Staff

With the hunt for an opponent for World Boxing Council (WBC) Junior Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on September 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas still apparently ongoing, WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (25-0, 14 KOs) would like to send the following reminder to his fellow champion:

“Canelo, if you want my belt, come try and take it! After I beat your brother in your hometown to win my title, you came forward and stated you wanted to fight me to avenge your brother’s loss. Ever since I immediately accepted your challenge, you have disappeared. Now we have a chance to unify the titles and give the fans a fight between two young, undefeated world champions, but it seems as though you are more interested in taking on lesser-quality opposition and avoiding me again.”

Trout was last seen scoring a dominant win over Delvin Rodriguez on June 2 on Showtime.

“I’ve proven to be head and shoulders above everyone they’ve put in front of me. I’m ready for my first defining moment as a fighter on the world stage, so I’m sending this challenge out to another champion who hasn’t yet been in a pick ’em type of fight.”

Surprisingly, Trout says he doesn’t blame Alvarez for his choice of opponents thus far.

“If I could get away with fighting the Kermit Cintrons and Matthew Hattons of the world on HBO, I would too, but it’s time to step up Cinnamon. Time to find out what we’re both truly made of.”

IABA UPDATE (TWO INTO SEMI-FINALS AT EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS)

Irish Amateur Boxing Association

Kerry middleweight Brian Wall joined Antrim’s Jason McKay in the semi-finals of the 16th European Junior Championships following a last-eight decision over Turkey’s Mustafa Atmaca this evening.

Earlier today, McKay registered a commanding quarter-final victory over Lithuanian light-flyweight Arturas Bankauskas in Bulgaria.

The talented Canal BC prospect recorded an 18-6 decision in Sofia and will now meet Iliyan Kolev (Bulgaria) in Friday’s 48kg semi-final.

Wall, of the Cashen Vale BC in Kerry, followed that up with victory over Atmaca, who was retired one minute into the third round after sustaining a facial injury.

Wall – who will face Zsolt Kovacs of Hungary on Friday – was ahead on points when the 75kg quarter-final was stopped.

Both McKay and Wall are guaranteed at least a bronze medal apiece from the 35-nation tournament.

But there was quarter-final disappointment for Lewis Crocker, Darren Pollock, Wayne Kelly and Kalum McConville today.

McConville and Pollock gave it absolutely everything in their duels against Turkey and Germany.

Pollock produced a particularly fine performance and can consider himself very unlucky that the scoreboard did not reflect his display against Wladislaw Brayshnik.

Crocker and Lewis also left everything in the ring, Kelly surprisingly losing out by a four-point margin to Russia’s Alexander Morokhin, a margin which was questioned by Irish coach Billy McClean,who said that the bout was “much,much closer” than the final verdict suggested.

Thursday is a rest day at the 35-nation tournament.

The semi-finals and finals will be decided on Friday and Saturday.

2012 European Junior Championships Sofia, Bulgaria

June 23rd (Last 32)

52kg: James Cleary (Ireland) beat Kaspars Burkevics (Latvia) 19-6

54kg: John Joyce (Ireland) beat Richard Kovacs (Hungary) 15-7

60kg: Wayne Kelly (Ireland) beat Saleem Bibar (Israel) 15-8

63kg: Daryl Byrne (Ireland) lost to Bernard Barsony (Hungary) 10-12

70kg: Luke Thomas (Ireland) lost to Bakhtier Kholov (Russia) 9-14

June 24th (Last 16 & Last 32)

54kg; John Joyce (Ireland) lost to Viktor Petrov (Ukraine) 10-14

57kg: Darren Pollock (Ireland) beat Jegors Artjomovs (Latvia) 9-8 (last 32)

66kg: Lewis Crocker (Ireland) beat Huseyn Tarverdili (Azerbaijan) 15-6 (last 32)

80kg: Michael Gallagher (Ireland) lost to Uladzimir Tsitou (Belarus) 9-13

80+kg: Aaron Kelly (Ireland) lost to Marat Kerimkhanov (Russia) 6-13

June 25th (Last 16)

46kg: Martin Stokes (Ireland) lost to Dan Lapin (Ukraine) 5-11

48kg: Jason McKay (Ireland) beat Zsolt Karvaly (Hungary) RSC2

50kg: Kalum McConville (Ireland) beat Paul Wall (Germany) 15-14

52kg: James Cleary (Ireland) lost to Sorin Claudiu (Romania) 8-17

57kg: Darren Pollock (Ireland) beat Mihail Cvasiuc (Moldova) 10-10 c/b +

(no countback scores available)

June 26th (Last 16)

60kg: Wayne Kelly (Ireland) beat Johanathan Zumbe (Germany) 15-8

66kg: Lewis Crocker (Ireland) beat Ogulcan Albayrak (Turkey) 14-8

75kg; Brian Wall (Ireland) beat Leonard Nicolae (Romania) 7-5

June 27th (Quarter-finals)

48kg: Jason McKay (Ireland) beat Arturas Bankauskas (Lithuania) 18-6

50kg: Kalum McConville (Ireland) lost to Omer Koc (Turkey) 6-12

57Kg: Darren Pollock (Ireland) lost to Wladislaw Brayshnik (Germany) 13-16

60kg: Wayne Kelly (Ireland) lost to Alexander Morokhin (Russia) 11-15

66kg: Lewis Crocker (Ireland) lost to Oleksii Takarchuk (Ukraine) 8-12

75kg: Brian Wall (Ireland) beat Mustafa Atmaca (Turkey) RSCI3

June 29th (Semi-finals)

48kg: Jason McKay (Ireland) v Iliyan Kolev (Bulgaria)

75kg: Brian Wall (Ireland) v Zsolt Kovacs (Hungary)

Irish squad

46kg; Martin Stokes (Mullhuddard)

48kg; Jason McKay (Canal)

50kg: Kalum McConville (Dealgan)

52kg: James Cleary (Olympic)

54kg: John Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)

57kg: Darren Pollock (St Agnes)

60kg: Wayne Kelly (Ballynacargy)

63kg: Daryl Byrne (Grangecon)

66kg: Lewis Crocker (Cairn Lodge)

70kg: Luke Thomas (Watergrasshill)

75kg: Brian Wall (Cashen Vale)

80kg: Michael Gallagher (Finn Valley)

80kg+: Aaron Kelly (Mount Tallant)

Team manager: Michael Darby

Coaches: Billy McClean. Jim O’Neill (Clann Noafa Noafa). Ger McDaid (Mulhuddard)

Physio: Eoin Naughton

R&J: Jim Murrin

Director of Boxing: Dominic O’Rourke

USA Boxing Announces the 2012 U.S. Olympic Games Staff

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO) – The coaching staff that will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to lead the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team into action in London has been set. 2004 Olympic Head Coach Basheer Abdullah (Fort Carson, Colo.) will serve in the same role in London while 2000 Olympic Assistant Coaches Candelario Lopez (San Jose, Calif.) and Israel Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.) will join him as assistants. 2012 Women’s World Championships Team Manager Delilah Rico (Los Angeles, Calif.) rounds out the staff in the Team Leader role.

“We are sending a very experienced coaching staff to London with the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team and we believe that their knowledge will be critical in aiding our athletes to perform at the highest level,” said USA Boxing Executive Director Anthony Bartkowski. “Coach Abdullah’s Olympic Games experience provides him and the staff with a huge advantage as the team prepares to face the world’s best boxers.”

Abdullah will be traveling to his fourth straight Olympic Games, having served as the Technical Advisor in 2000 and 2008. The 49-year-old Abdullah led the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program as Head Coach from 1997 to 2012 and has coached numerous athletes to national titles during his career. In addition, he served as the Head Coach for the past two Women’s World Championships as the female athletes prepared for their Olympic debut. The 2004 USA Boxing Coach of the Year, Abdullah has coached at every major national and international event, including the Pan American Games and World Military Championships and looks forward to using his expertise to guide the U.S. team to medals in London.

Acosta, who enjoyed a decorated career as an athlete, is returning to the Olympic Games for the second time. With 28 years of experience in coaching, Acosta also enjoys an impressive resume. In addition to his work in 2000, he served on the 2007 Pan American Games staff and has worked numerous international duals and competitions. He has coached multiple national champions over the past three decades and enjoyed numerous coaching awards, including USA Boxing Coach of the Year in 1992. Acosta most recently served as the Head Coach for the Women’s Continental Championships and Team USA won eight medals, six of them gold.

Lopez will enjoy a repeat appearance at the Olympic Games as well with his selection to the 2012 staff. A veteran of international competition, Lopez has led the Youth World Championships squad three times, most recently in 2008 as well as previously serving as Head Coach for the Women’s World Championships.

Rico has dreamt of being Olympic Team Manager since she first got involved in the sport in 2005. She worked her way up the ladder, serving in the important role at the Junior Olympics three times before being selected as the Women’s International Dual Series Team Leader in 2010. Most recently, she worked as the Team Manager for the Women’s World Championships in Qinhuangdao, China where the women won five medals.

All of the staff nominations are pending approval from the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors.

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).