Don’t miss your chance to see the best Olympic-style boxers in the United States battle it out at the 2010 USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado Springs, July 12-17. Tickets for the United States’ premier amateur boxing event are on sale now and are available at www.ticketswest.com..
The National Championships, returning to Colorado Springs following a one-year absence, are being presented by the Daniels Fund, along with Gold Sponsor Budweiser, Silver Sponsors KILO 94.3/RXP 103.9, USA Boxing,The Sports Corp, Everlast and Crowne Plaza. 300 boxers will convene in the Pikes Peak region for the annual event, which consistently showcases future Olympians and professional world champions as they vie for a national championship title.
Championship Night tickets (Saturday, July 17-Crowne Plaza Hotel, 7:00 p.m.) are only $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Preferred seating and VIP tables of ten seats ($300-$500) are available for purchase through the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation at 634-7333 ext.1009, or by e-mail: sloane@thesportscorp.org
The first five days of competition will all be in Sports Center I at the U.S. Olympic Training Center with preliminary round competition being contested July 12-14, semifinal action taking place on July 15, men’s bronze medal bouts at 6 p.m., on July 16. The event will conclude with final round competition on July 17 at 7 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Women’s non-Olympic weight class finals at the OTC will take place at 3:30 p.m., and the three women’s Olympic weight classes will be contested with the men’s championship bouts at 7 p.m. in a full night of Olympic-style boxing at the hotel.
Two returning Olympians and six defending champions are scheduled to compete in the premier amateur boxing event in the country as it returns to its home in Colorado Springs.
Two-time Olympian and 2007 World Champion Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) will continue his run toward history by attempting to become the first U.S. boxer to ever compete in three Olympic Games. He will be joined in Colorado Springs by his 2008 Olympic teammate Raynell Williams (Cleveland, Ohio). Williams will be competing in his first USA Boxing National Championships since the Beijing Olympics. Colorado’s own two-time National Champion Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) will enjoy a home state advantage as he vies for his third straight National title, just an hour south of his hometown.
The event will hold special significance for the women’s division as it is the first USA Boxing National Championships since the IOC’s decision to add women’s boxing to the 2012 Olympic Games. The flyweight, lightweight and middleweight divisions will all be contested in London and the United States’ top female boxers will begin staking their claim on the newly named Olympic weight divisions in Colorado Springs. Four-time light flyweight national champion Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) has moved up to the flyweight division for the 2010 edition and will look to stake her claim on the new Olympic weight division in Colorado. Defending lightweight champion Patricia Manuel (Gardena, Calif.) and reigning middleweight champion Alyssa DeFazio (Newburgh, N.Y.) are back to defend their titles as well with the 2012 Olympics just two years away.
Preliminary and semifinal action is open to the public and free of charge for all attendees. Spectators for the women’s finals are encouraged to bring a donation for USA Boxing’s Gloves Not Guns program.
The USA Boxing National Championships have been held annually since 1888, making it the longest running amateur boxing tournament in the United States, and the event consistently showcases future Olympians and future World Champions. Former champions include Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Muhammad Ali (as Cassius Clay).
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