USA Boxing national championships come to Richmond this week
The USA Boxing National Championships will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center this week, the first time the event has ever been held in the River City.
More than 900 athletes from across the country will have an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Olympians and world medalists over six days of competition.
Competitors ages 9-39 are fighting for spots on the USA High Performance team, which trains amateur boxers to compete on the international level.
According to USA Boxing’s Zack Chavez, there are two spots on the High Performance team for each weight class. “[They’re] the ones who are going to be competing at international events over the next year,” he said.
This year’s championships are the first of the 2028 Olympic cycle, and high-level boxers of all weight divisions will be looking to showcase their talent and gain tournament experience as they set their sights on the Los Angeles Games.
According to USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee, there will also be several Paris Olympians on site and in the ring. Olympians Roscoe Hill, Alyssa Mendoza, Jahmal Harvey, Jennifer Lozano, Jajaira Gonzalez, Morell McCane are all slated to compete, as well as Naomi Graham, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Games.
World U19 gold medalists Lorenzo Patricio, Joseph Awinongya, and Elijah Lugo are also scheduled to fight. According to Chavez, this tournament will be Lugo’s first time competing in the Elite division.
There are plenty of Richmond-area athletes scheduled to compete, including several local high schoolers. Kayla Moore is a student at Prince George High School, and Nnajai Wright is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School. Both train at Ninth Dimension Sports Circle in Hopewell.
Qualifying bouts will begin at noon on Monday, followed by another set of matches at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will follow the same schedule. By Friday, competition will have narrowed, and one session at 12 p.m. will determine the next day’s finalists. Final matches will begin at noon on Saturday.
Will call tickets for the tournament start at $10 a day or $50 for a weekly pass. Tickets for Saturday’s championship bouts are $25.
