Former AIBA World Champion and twice Olympian Rau'shee Warren will soon join Baku hoping to qualify for his third Olympic Games in a row. He would then become the first US boxer to do so.
Warren is a man of records. He was already the youngest US athlete at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he lost his first preliminary contest against China's Zou Shiming. Following his bronze medal at the 2005 AIBA World Championships in Mianyang, the flyweight star won a gold medal at the 2007 AIBA World Championships in Chicago.
His second Olympic Games in Beijing were also unsuccessful because he lost to Korea's World Champion Lee Ok Sung on his opening contest. After these two disappointing performances, Warren is now motivated enough to become the first US boxer taking part in three Olympic Games in a row. He is still unbeaten this year and only Russian Misha Aloyan, English Khalid Yafai and Welsh Andrew Selby seem strong enough to stop him.
AIBA Cadet World Championships bronze medallist and multiple National Champion Louie Byrd was unexpectedly beaten by 18-year-old Eros Correa at the National Olympic Trials in August. Therefore Baku will miss him... And newcomer light flyweight Eros Correa will be the youngest member of the US team.
In the bantamweight class, twice National Champion, 19-year-old Joseph Diaz from California, secured his place in the squad at the Olympic Trials. The teenager is coached by his father in El Monte and dreams of a medal in Baku.
US lightweight No.1 Jose Ramirez also joined to the team from California and expects at least to enter the Olympic quota. The 19-year-old fighter started boxing when he was only 8 and since then secured two US Junior National titles and two gold medals at the US National Elite Championships.
US Marine boxer, Military World Championships silver medallist Jamel Herring from Camp Lejeune has recently increased his training load. This extra work helped him to win a gold medal at the National Olympic Trials. Herring's family helps him a lot to increase his boxing knowledge and reach excellent results.
US welterweight No.1 three-time National Champion Errol Spence was born in New York, but he is now living and boxing in Dallas for many years. Spence fought at the 2009 AIBA World Championships and several other international events. He is one of the most experienced boxers in the team.
Strong 22-year-old Jesse Hart from Philadelphia won each of his middleweight national contests this year and will be a serious contender for a medal. US PAL Champion, 21-year-old light heavyweight boxer Marcus Browne, won the National Olympic Trials and will compete in Baku as a newcomer in the US squad.
Former AIBA Junior World Championships bronze medallist, 23-year-old Michael Hunter has already participated in two AIBA World Championships. Four years ago he failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and therefore decided to remain amateur in order to be in London in 2012. It's now time for him to confirm...
Twice US National Champion and National Golden Gloves Tournament winner, 23-year-old Lenroy Thompson won the Olympic Trials in the super heavyweight class. He has now the opportunity to compete in London. Last year he participated in the World Series of Boxing and in several European tournaments as well.
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