USA Boxing to host international competition at Pueblo Convention Center

The first elite international boxing event hosted in the U.S. in more than a decade will take place at the Pueblo Convention Center Sept. 12-15, USA Boxing recently announced.

The event is expected to bring athletes from 11 different countries to the Home of Heroes to compete against the top boxers from Team USA. Countries scheduled to compete include China, France, Germany and the Philippines, with teams consisting of Olympians and world championship medalists. Complete country rosters have not yet been announced.

“On behalf of the City of Pueblo, we are excited to welcome these world-class athletes from around the world and to show them all the great things our community has to offer,” said Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar in a news release. “The City of Pueblo is proud to be chosen by USA Boxing for the 2022 International Invitation and we hope to have them back in Pueblo for this event for many years to come.”

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“(Pueblo) was the perfect fit,” said USA Boxing High-Performance Director Matt Johnson. “The venue and the location ... it all works out perfectly.”

The Pueblo Convention Center and USA Boxing’s training facility are less than an hour away from each other and the convention center is also near several hotels and other accommodations for athletes traveling to the competition.

“USA Boxing is thrilled to bring our first international event in four years to the city of Pueblo,” Johnson said. “Our elite team will be put to the test against some of the world’s best Olympic-style boxers. We look forward to this challenge and representing the United States on our home soil.”

Team USA will have boxers compete in each of the 13 different Olympic weight classes. Some of the boxers expected in the ring include five former world championship medalists, including world champions Rashida Ellis, Rahim Gonzales, and Jahmal Harvey.

The full team roster will be announced following a selection camp at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, which is currently taking place and will conclude by Sept. 2.

The event in Pueblo marks the first international competition USA Boxing has hosted on American soil since 2018, when it hosted the Youth Continental Championships in Colorado Springs; it is also the first elite international event hosted in the U.S. since the 2007 Elite Men’s World Championships in Chicago.

While the free event will be slightly smaller than a world championship, both Johnson and Brian Taylor, communications and digital media manager for USA boxing, said they're happy to again play host in international competition.

“We had started planning back in March or April,” Johnson said. “The location was the key to this.”

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“It's a great opportunity for fans to come out and see boxing,” Taylor said. “It's a great time for exposure and for everyone to follow their (the boxers') journey.”

Event hosts wanted to keep it free to the public so anyone who wants to has a chance to cheer on Team USA and see some elite boxing up-close.

“We want to welcome as many people as possible,” Johnson said. “We want to make sure it’s packed in there for the home team.”

The competition will take place during two sessions, one at 11 a.m. and another at 5 p.m., beginning Monday, Sept. 12 until Wednesday, Sept. 14. The championship bouts will come Thursday, Sept. 15, starting at 11 a.m.

The event will also be livestreamed on USABoxing.org.

“Hopefully we can host more in the future,” Taylor said.

Immediately following the USA Boxing event, Pueblo's Ybarra's Boxing Club will be hosting its own live boxing event, starting Thursday, Sept. 15, and running through through the weekend. The Ybarra's event will showcase some of Pueblo’s top talent and possibly some future stars of the sport.

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: USA Boxing to host international bouts at Pueblo Convention Center