(JAN 29) USA Boxing is opening
2013 international action with two events on opposite sides of
the globe. Team USA will travel to China and the Dominican
Republic for competitions in February as a pair of athletes head
to Beijing for a dual event, February 4-7, while eight boxers
will compete in the Independence Cup in Santiago later in the
month.
With 2013 marking the start of a new quadrennial, the athletes
are excited to embark on a fresh start for USA Boxing. The
Independence Cup squad is currently taking part in a preparatory
camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs prior to
departing for Santiago on February 16. The athletes arrived in
Colorado Springs on Monday for the three-week camp, the first of
the year at the Olympic Training Center.
The Independence Cup roster features a strong mix of experienced
international veterans and talented newcomers to the global
scene. 2012 U.S. Olympian Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) and
2012 Women’s World Championships silver medalist Raquel Miller
(San Francisco, Calif.) will compete in female division action
in the Dominican Republic. On the men’s side, six 2012 National
PAL Champions will attempt to extend their domestic success to
the international stage. Light flyweight Laroy Davila
(Brunswick, N.J.), flyweight Shawn Simpson (Chicago, Ill.),
bantamweight Gary Salazar (Fresno, Calif.), lightweight Kenneth
Sims, Jr. (Chicago, Ill.), light welterweight Erickson Lubin
(Kissimmee, Fla.), and welterweight Rashidi Ellis (Lynn, Mass.)
will be the six men’s boxers representing Team USA in the
Independence Cup.
2012 Women’s World Championships bronze medalist Christina Cruz
(New York, N.Y.) and 2012 National PAL Champion Steven Nelson
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) will travel to Beijing for the USA vs.
China Dual. The duo will be led by 2012 Olympic Coach Charles
Leverette at the international dual in China.
USA Boxing International Teaching Coach Pedro Roque Otano
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) will run the Independence Cup training
camp at the Olympic Training Center and Edward Rivas (San
Antonio, Texas) will join him for the preparatory camp and join
the squad as the Head Coach in the Dominican Republic.
Athletes from 16 nations competed in the 2012 Independence Cup,
but the full list of countries competing and the complete
competition schedule for the 2013 event have not yet been
announced. USA Boxing is currently finalizing its full 2013
international calendar and it will be released shortly.
International Rosters
USA vs. China Dual
119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y.
178 lbs/male: Steven Nelson, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach: Charles Leverette, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Independence Cup
108 lbs/male: Laroy Davila, Brunswick, N.J.
114 lbs/male: Shawn Simpson, Chicago, Ill.
123 lbs/male: Gary Salazar, Fresno, Calif.
132 lbs/male: Kenneth Sims, Jr., Chicago, Ill.
132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash.
141 lbs/male: Erickson Lubin, Kissimmee, Fla.
152 lbs/male: Rashidi Ellis, Lynn, Mass.
165 lbs/female: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif.
Intern.Teaching Coach: Pedro Roque Otano, Colorado Springs,
Colo.
Head Coach: Edward Rivas, San Antonio, Texas
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).
WBAN
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