World Series of Boxing charges into LA
Left to right, members of the L.A. Matadors boxing team, Russell “the Haitian Sensation” Lamour, Eric “Fearless” Fowler, David “the Dream Catcher” Imoesiri, Lamar “Pain” Fenner, Javier “the Monster” Torres, Dorian “the Truth” Anthony, Rau’shee “Baby Pit” Warren and Joe “the KC Kid” Saenz. Photo/L.A.Matadors
For countless years, the USA Amateur Boxing Organization has been the mainstay to assist the United States Olympic Committee, USOC, in preparing Team USA boxers for the Olympic games. Since USA Amateur Boxing is a non profit organization, they’ve relied on the unpaid volunteer coaches and officials, plus charitable donations to provide the training, coaching and support, as they prepare the athletes to represent our country. Team USA is one of the few Olympic Teams left that is privately funded.
And now, the World Series of Boxing appears on the scene. On November 11, the team in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Matadors, announced they’ll be hosting a boxing show in this WSB tournament. The team is led by two-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren and is coached by Manny Robles, Robert Luna and 2000 Olympian Jose Navarro. Their home debut is set for November 28 at the Nokia Theatre in the new LA Live complex of downtown Los Angeles.
Like any business, this first-ever global amateur boxing league has plans to make money. Forget the $10 donation to your local boxing gym, this venture is going on a grander scale with general admission ticket prices starting a $20 plus fees and parking all the way up to $195 plus fees and parking; and if the proposed TV rights are purchased, that’s makes things even grander. Tickets are now available through Ticketmaster. Go to www.lamatadors.com for all the details.
For those involved I wish them much success. Rau’shee Warren, the former Olympian is hoping all goes well. “Being part of the launch of WSB is a tremendous honor and also a huge benefit to me because it will give me the pro style experience I need, but I still get to go back to the Olympics in 2012 and get my gold medal,’’ said Warren, who competes as a bantamweight. “It’s really exciting to be part of the L.A. Matadors. I get to entertain the fans in L.A. like Kobe (Bryant) does for the Lakers, as I bring the ruckus to the ring.”
In addition to Warren, a gifted group of boxers has been assembled, including several local products such as Javier Torres, a hard-hitting heavyweight from Pico Rivera. The team now trains at the Rock Gym in Carson, Ca.
Like Los Angeles, San Diego has a great many boxing fans and like L.A. has produced many a great fighter. The question I would like answered: Have the boxers from San Diego County been overlooked?
