USA Boxing to Hold Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships in Albuquerque March 20-25

Posted By: Austin Kileen March 1, 2017

THE NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY FOR OLYMPIC-STYLE BOXING

USA BOXING NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 1, 2017
CONTACT: Annemarie Blanco (770-866-3590) or [email protected]

USA Boxing to Hold Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships in the Heart of the Southwest

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – USA Boxing will host the first national tournament of the year in the balloon capital of the country at the 2017 Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Athletes as young as eight years old through the elite division will join together to compete in the newly added tournament, March 20 – 25 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

After a more than six-year hiatus, USA Boxing has resumed a National Championship qualification process in order to recruit the country’s best talent while also giving younger age divisions continued opportunities to gain experience on the national level. The first of two advancing tournaments, the Western Elite Qualifiers and Regional Open Championship will allow elite boxers the chance to punch their ticket to National Championships this December. The second advancing tournament, the Eastern Elite Qualifier and Regional Open, will be held October 16 – 21, 2017 at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The top two boxers in each of the elite women’s and men’s weight classes will be given a slot to compete at the Elite National Championships. More than 500 athletes are expected to attend each qualifying event.

“The qualifiers are the first step in USA Boxing’s goal to provide high level competition opportunities to its membership while ensuring that the best of the best participates at the Elite National Championships,” said USA Boxing High Performance Director Matt Johnson.

A rich history of boxing along with its centralized southwestern location made Albuquerque the perfect meeting place to host the tournament targeted to USA Boxing’s western residing athletes. Well known boxing figures Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero both called the unique New Mexico city home, bringing notoriety to the town throughout the 1980s and 90s. Tapia, a five-time world champion, began his illustrious career in the amateur ranks winning the 1983 and 1985 National Golden Glove tournaments. Romero spent 13 years in the amateur boxing world under his father and trainer Danny Romero Sr. before turning professional in 1992 after he was just shy of making the Barcelona ’92 Olympics.

“Albuquerque is thrilled to welcome the participants of the 2017 USA Boxing Western Qualifier to our beautiful city,” said Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque. “We look forward to partnering with USA Boxing in celebrating talented athletes of all levels and the dedication they bring to the sport. The city’s top-notch facilities, Southwestern hospitality, and award-winning service have all contributed to Albuquerque being recognized as a premier sporting destination.”

The event will be an open tournament for boxers in the pee-wee, bantam, intermediate, youth, junior divisions and elite divisions as long as athletes meet the minimum bout qualification and age determinations as laid out in the event fact sheets. Click here for event fact sheets.

All participants must complete an online registration by 12 a.m. MT on Monday, March 13. On-site check-in will begin in Albuquerque at 8 a.m. on the morning of March 19 with the tournament draw and general weigh-ins taking place the following day. Tournament action will begin on March 20 and run through the event finals on March 25. Admission for the preliminary and semi-final rounds will be free and open to the public. Tickets will be sold for Saturday evening’s championship rounds starting at $10.00 for general admission and $20 for VIP ringside options.

For more information about the event, stay tuned to www.usaboxing.org

USA Boxing, 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).