Highly Decorated Cuban Trainer Pedro Roque Otano Pegged as International Teaching Coach by USA Boxing. USA Boxing has obtained the services of one of the most decorated Olympic-style boxing trainers in the world to assist the top amateur boxers in the United States. Cuban trainer Pedro Roque Otano has been named the International Teaching Coach for USA Boxing and will work with top coaches from across the United States to aid in preparing U.S. athletes for high-level international competitions.
“I thank USA Boxing for giving me the possibility of working with its boxers. I am very satisfied and happy for this opportunity,” said Roque Otano. “I promise to put all my national and international experience to the service of the development of boxing in the United States and to work continuously to achieve medals in all the World Championships, Pan American Games and Olympic Games in men’s and women’s boxing.”
With over 40 years of experience on the amateur boxing scene, Roque Otano has led athletes from multiple nations to medal-winning performances at every major international event. He boasts 35 Olympic medals, including 11 gold as well as 43 medals at the World Championships over his career. In addition to his competition success, Roque Otano holds a doctorate degree as well as several masters degrees in applied sports sciences. Highly respected at the international level, Roque Otano has taught Olympic solidarity classes in more than 20 nations across the globe, helping to raise the performance of the athletes in key international competitions.
Read More: USA Boxing News - Pedro Roque Otano Pegged as International Teaching Coach
The month of September continues to offer lots of boxing betting action at the sportsbooks, with four more title fights scheduled for the upcoming weekend around the world.
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The most anticipated matchup is the WBC Middleweight title fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Gabriel Martinez, but the action continues with an IBF Cruiserweight battle between Troy Ross and Pablo Hernandez, a European Middleweight championship bout between Roberto Santos and Dominik Britsch, and a WBC Light Middleweight title fight between Josesito Lopez and Saul Alvarez.
Action on the Chavez vs. Martinez fight is already available at Bovada and it’s the challenger Martinez that’s currently a -200 favorite. If Chavez is able to defend his title he will pay out at +160, but an even more interesting bet might be the +200 option on the UNDER 9.5 rounds total. Chavez has a recent history of going the distance, but that option currently comes with a -300 price.
Ross will be an underdog to take Hernandez’s IBF Cruiserweight title mainly because he could not beat Steve Cunningham, the former champion that Hernandez has beaten twice. Ross, now 37 years old, will likely lay it all on the line in what is probably his last chance at a world title.
Santos and Britsch will be meeting for the second time to once again decide the EU Middleweight championship. The two fought to a draw last February, so a rematch was set up to put the controversy to bed.
Lopez will look to win his first world title but will be a heavy underdog to do so against the undefeated Alvarez. Lopez will need to repeat the performance he had against Victor Ortiz to have a chance to take the title, but if he does it will make for a big payday for anyone that opts for the upset bet.
Pre Fight Thoughts: forum-ixgames-com/boxing/18945-martinez-will-win-war-chavez-jr-html
Two of the most talented Latinos in boxing will face each other Saturday in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. — Sergio Martinez and Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. will fight for the WBC middleweight title.
Both fighters have vinegar running through their veins and love to fight, so grab the popcorn early cause this fight will bring action.
Martinez will attempt to regain his belt from Chavez, which was stripped for a flimsy technicality. However, this will give Chavez Jr. a chance to prove he is a bonafide champion after a lot of critics questioned his legitimacy.
I expect to see Martinez, a southpaw, rely on his hand speed, foot movement, and counter ability to create angles for him to break down Chavez.
The Argentinian will bring slick-quick moves into the ring. At times, he will shine like an experienced matador against Chavez’s bullish tactics.
Chavez Jr. brings strength and size. For Martinez to counter this, he will have to be constantly on the move, keeping his hands busy and showing lots of lateral movement to not letting Chavez set up on him.
Martinez will have to use his southpaw stance to his advantage as Chavez has no championship experience against a lefty.
Chavez Jr., who is slender and slick, steps into the ring at 6-feet-0 tall. He will have to capitalize on those physical attributes. He will have to fight Martinez tall and not give away that height and distance.
Read More: Pro boxing analysis: Martinez will win war with Chavez Jr. | Amarillo Globe-News
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Mexico was dominated for the first 11 rounds Saturday in his middleweight title defense against Sergio Martinez of Argentina.
Either Martinez got tired, or decided to please the house by going toe-to-toe with Chavez in the final round after out-boxing the son of the legend the first 11.
Chavez proceeded to deck Martinez in a vicious 12th, where both fighters were throwing punches with mean intentions even though they were obviously spent.
But since Martinez had done so well most of the way, he was able to take the WBC middleweight belt from Chavez via unanimous decision before 19,186 at Thomas & Mack Center.
Judge Stanley Christodoulou scored it 117-110 and Adalaide Byrd and Dave Moretti both had it 118-109. This newspaper had Martinez winning 117-110.
At least until the last round, Martinez gave Chavez a boxing lesson he won't soon forget. He utilized a stiff right jab, a crisp left cross and movement and angles that kept Chavez completely at bay. Martinez was cut over the left eye, as was Chavez, who also lost quite a bit of blood from his nose.
After the decision was announced, the thousands of Argentine fans in attendance went nuts, waving flags and chanting their approval for their hero. Minutes earlier, Mexican fans were in a frenzy when they thought their guy might make a remarkable comeback.
Read More: Martinez defeats Chavez Jr. to earn WBC title - Press-Telegram
When Saul "Canelo" Alvarez was asked at his post-fight news conference whether he's ready to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., the young champion showed off both his growing grasp of English and his flair for the dramatic.
"I was born ready," he said to laughter and cheers.
Even at this early stage of his pro career, Alvarez is confident his moment for global stardom is rapidly arriving. After all, he sold out the MGM Grand Garden for his first major event as a headliner in the U.S. on Saturday night, even for a fight against an overmatched opponent — and even while another beloved Mexican boxer fought just a few blocks down Tropicana Avenue.
Promoter Richard Schaefer says the weekend's show, culminating in Alvarez's beatdown of 12-to-1 underdog Josesito Lopez, only proves his 22-year-old redhead is a superstar who's ready to take on the biggest names between 147 and 160 pounds: Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez or anybody else willing to tangle with Canelo.
The Golden Boy Promotions CEO thinks the bout and the crowd's reaction to it was "the coming-out party for Canelo Alvarez."
"You saw the quality. You saw the reactions from fans, the electricity in the air," Schaefer added. "It was maybe one of the best nights of boxing Golden Boy has ever put on."
Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) has won 37 consecutive fights, and he defended his WBC 154-pound belt with brute efficiency, battering the undersized Lopez until referee Joe Cortez stopped it with 5 seconds left in the fifth round. Alvarez had barely celebrated the win before his mind turned to the next challenges available — including Mayweather, the undefeated pound-for-pound king who has given little indication when he'll fight again.
Read More: Canelo Alvarez is ready for boxing's biggest foes - Home » Other Sections » Breaking News
If you scour the country there is no other area today that can boast a greater impact on professional boxing than the Inland Empire.
Suddenly it’s the new hub for the sport of prizefighting.
Last weekend, the boxing world saw two products of the Inland Empire in competing Las Vegas fight cards: Josesito Lopez lost by technical knockout to Mexico’s heralded Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. bowed to Argentina’s Sergio Martinez.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Another wave of Inland area prospects hits the scene when Riverside’s Richard “The Terminator” Contreras (9-0-1, 8 KOs) returns to the ring after suffering a broken jaw earlier in the year. He’ll face Jonathan Alcantara (6-8-2) in the main event at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario on Friday, Sept. 21.
In February, Contreras was hit by a punch that came after the bell had rung by Mexico’s Daniel Quevedo. It was ruled an illegal punch, but that didn’t prevent the blow from cracking his jaw. Despite the visible injury, Contreras rallied furiously to a majority draw against Quevedo.
Time has healed the break.
“I feel good,” said Contreras, 22. “I can’t wait to fight again.”
That’s his mentality.
In the co-main event Miguel Diaz (9-0), of Allentown, Pa., returns for the ninth time to Southern California. The rapid firing boxing machine will face San Antonio’s Joseph Rios (11-7-2) for the vacant WBC USNBC flyweight title.
“We’re trying to get Miguel Diaz a title shot somewhere down the line,” said Alex Camponovo of Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Also on Friday, about a hundred-plus miles north, Thompson Boxing Promotions sends a few of its fighters to headline a card at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.
Carson’s Efrain Esquivias (16-1, 9 KOs) meets Colombia’s Jhonatan Romero (21-0, 12 KOs) in the junior featherweight main event set for 10 rounds at Chumash.
Both Esquivias and Romero are promoted by Thompson Boxing. Romero has been training in Riverside the past few months and sparring against local boxers. One of the boxers he’s worked against is Ontario’s Jonathan Arellano (13-0-1, 3 KOs), a speedy junior featherweight set to fight in the semi-main event against Roman Morales (12-0, 6 KOs). It’s Arellano’s big test.
“It’s a good fight for Jonathan,” said trainer Henry Ramirez.
Read More: BOXING: Tip of iceberg | Breaking News | PE-com - Press-Enterprise
Just over two months after landing a crushing right hand on Monte Barrett's jaw, Shane Cameron has landed the biggest fight of his life.
The 34-year-old slugger will fight Australian veteran Danny Green for the vacant IBO cruiserweight title in Melbourne in November, it will be announced today.
Cameron is the first New Zealand-born fighter to contest a genuine world title since fellow Gisborne native Tom Heeney was knocked out in 11 rounds fighting Gene Tunney for the heavyweight title at Yankee Stadium in 1928.
"This is the pinnacle of boxing - fighting for a world title - so yeah 100 per cent this is my biggest fight," said Cameron, who is in Melbourne today attending a press conference to announce the fight.
Cameron and Green will contest a belt that became vacant when champion Antonio Tarver failed a drugs test after his most recent defence - a controversial draw against Lateef Kayode in California in June.
Tarver, who claimed the title by stopping Green in Sydney in July 2011, was stripped by the IBO after testing positive for the anabolic steroid drostanalone, a substance used by bodybuilders and athletes as a weight-cutting agent.
Read More: Boxing: Cameron gets title fight with Green - Sport - NZ Herald News
Middleweight fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could be stripped of his $3 million purse, depending on the explanation he offers to Nevada boxing regulators about a positive test for marijuana after his first professional loss last weekend in Las Vegas, officials said Wednesday.
Top Rank Inc. spokesman Lee Samuels said promoter Bob Arum was aware the 26-year-old Chavez tested positive for the banned substance.
"Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will have the opportunity to explain the situation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission," Samuels said in a statement he read to a reporter. Samuels declined further comment.
Commission executive Keith Kizer wouldn't immediately provide the name, but said only one of 32 fighters who took part in bouts at two Las Vegas venues last Saturday tested positive for a banned substance, marijuana.
Kizer said the commission was awaiting results of pre-fight tests for banned steroids, diuretics and masking agents before releasing all pre-fight and post-fight test results for all 32 fighters.
Read More: Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. tests positive for marijuana
Emanuel Steward, who is a Hall of Fame trainer and HBO commentator, has been reported to have had surgery due to Diverticulosis. Steward-Jones, who is Emanuel’s sister, told the Detroit Free Press, “My brother has had problems with a nervous stomach, which turned into diverticulosis. He had to have some repairs and he is resting and recuperating. He is doing very well."
Nevertheless, it is evident that Steward must take care of himself before he begins to train any fighters and return to commentating on HBO. As a man who has done a lot for many people within the sport of boxing inside and outside of the ring, Steward must look to take care of himself for once. Those who Steward has helped out throughout the years should be looking to return the favor and ensure that he is getting the proper care.
Read More: Emanuel Steward recovering from surgery - New York Boxing | Examiner-com
BOXING champion Corrie Sanders has been shot and killed in a restaurant at his daughter's 21st birthday.
South Africa's former world heavyweight champion was in the Pretoria restaurant on Saturday evening when three men charged in and fired randomly where the family were dining, police said.
They shot Sanders in the stomach and hand - the 46-year-old died from his injuries yesterday morning.
"They shot randomly and stole the mobile phone of his daughter who was celebrating her 21st birthday. They also stole a handbag from another guest," police told the Sapa news agency.
Sanders retired in 2008 with an impressive record of 42 wins against just four defeats, with his most famous victory being in 2003 when he won the WBO world heavyweight title by knocking-out Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the second round after putting him down four times.
It was hailed as one of the greatest upsets in boxing history but Sanders was to find his brother Vitali a challenge too far when he challenged him for his WBC heavyweight title a year later with the fight being stopped in the eighth round.
His death was greeted with shock by sportspeople round the world and provoked glowing tributes from former boxers as well as fellow South African sporting icons.
South Africa's 2007 World Cup winning rugby captain John Smit echoed many of the tweets at the senseless waste of life.
"Just woke up to news of Corrie Sanders having been murdered last night, what another senseless waste of life in SA. RIP Champion," wrote Smit.
South African 400 metres hurdler Alwyn Myburgh, an Olympic finalist in 2004 and a former Commonwealth Games silver medallist, couldn't resist aiming a sarcastic barb at South African President Jacob Zuma over his claims the crime rate was declining in the country.
"Corrie Sanders murdered but don't worry, crime stats are down. Thank U Mr President for such a safe safe country," tweeted the 32-year-old.
South African cricketers presently on duty at the world Twenty20 in Sri Lanka also chipped in their reactions.
"Shocking news about Corrie Sanders' death, gonna miss u Corras," commented ace batsman and Twenty20 skipper AB deVilliers.
Pace bowler Albie Morkel said his joy at beating hosts Sri Lanka in Saturday's Twenty20 game had been soured by the news.
"Went to bed as a happy man last night only to wake up to the tragic news of Corrie Sanders death.. Another senseless murder in SA!! RIP"
Read more: Boxing champ shot dead at dinner | News-com.au
BOXERS consistently turn press briefings into perfect cures for insomnia. In the ring they can let their fists do the talking; outside of it they should learn from the Louisville Lip. Boxing is about hype and only hype sells tickets. Boxers demand huge purse monies from promoters yet some of them cannot even sell 10 tickets.
They should do poetry like the legendary Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) who beat many of his opponents with his verbal barbs before they got into the ring. His trash talk encouraged many people to leave the comfort of their homes and attend his fights.
Although not all of them went to watch boxing to see him win: like any other boxer Ali had his enemies as well. Some wanted to see him lose.
But Ali never complained of being paid minimal purse money. Basically he was paid what he demanded because he sold both himself and every fight he fought.
To illustrate what we are talking about Sunday World chose a few lines from a poem Ali composed before his bout with Sonny Liston in 1963.
"I predict Mr Liston's dismemberment, I'll hit him so hard; he'll wonder where October and November went. When I say two, there's never a third, Standing against me is completely absurd. When Cassius Clay says a mouse can outrun a horse, Don't ask how; put your money where your mouse is. I am the greatest. If you dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologise."
Tickets were probably sold out on the announcement of this fight.
CORRIE Sanders, who died early on Sunday morning after being shot by robbers, was an all-round talented sportsman who was best known for his boxing exploits. In his most famous victory he knocked out Wladimir Klitschko in the second round on March 8 2003, silencing 11000 fans packed into the Preussag indoor arena in Hanover, Germany.
He put the giant Ukrainian on the canvas four times in what surely ranks as one of the most explosive performances in world heavyweight boxing, matching Jack Dempsey's demolitions of Luis Angel Firpo and Jess Willard, as well as Mike Tyson's early quick-route wins.
George Foreman, who steam-rollered Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in world heavyweight title bouts in the 1970s, was a commentator at the ringside that night and was gobsmacked.
"He couldn't talk," said Vernon Smith, Sanders' manager at the time. "He just sat there with his mouth hanging open."
Sanders' win was immense. At the time Klitschko was widely considered the heir to Lennox Lewis.
Sanders, who beat Fransie Botha three times as an amateur, was also an excellent golfer who got his handicap down to scratch at times, and a skilled flyhalf and inside centre who represented Northern Transvaal at Craven Week.
His first paid job was as a policeman. He turned professional in 1989 and in his 11th professional fight won the South African title with a first-round knockout of Johnny du Plooy in 1991.
At long last Uganda will host a global boxing title bout.
Uganda Professional Boxing Commission has announced that World Boxing Council International (WBCI) light heavyweight champion Joseph Lubega will defend his belt against a yet to be identified opponent in Kampala on November 30.
UPBC said Lubega’s challenger the will be known within the course of the week.
UPBC officials revealed the plan to stage the title defence in Kampala on Monday while presenting the international belt the boxer won to state sports minister Charles Bakkabulindi at his office.
Lubega knocked out homeboy Kirt Sinnette in the fourth round in Trinidad and Tobago’s city of Port-of-Spain to win the previously vacant title.
“I’m number one in the world. I want to defend this title from here so that I become the first Ugandan to bring a world title fight home. I request Ugandans to support me and make it a success for me to defend the title,” Lubega said at a press briefing.
In 1997, Justin Juuko won the WBCI super featherweight belt but did not defend it from the country.
Bakkabulindi has already asked National Council of Sports to ensure the fight is staged in the MTN Arena as a way to resurrect the dead amateur boxing through which Lubega’s talent was nurtured, taking part in the Olympic Games before he turned professional.
World boxing champ Lubega to defend title in Kampala
T the SECC in Glasgow on Saturday night was, perhaps, no surprise to his thousands of fans.
But what did raise the eyebrows was the manner in which victory was attained. A devastating fourth-round stoppage once referee Terry O’Connor decided challenger Kevin Mitchell had suffered enough.
The 29-year-old twice had the Dagenham fighter down on the canvas before finishing him off for good. Burns was ruthless, devilish even, when he sensed the opportunity to end the contest in less than a dozen minutes.
It’s a side observers haven’t often seen. Burns has 35 victories to his name with just 10 not going the distance. But this triumph showed he has the power and the ability to finish an opponent when they are on the ropes.
And Mitchell was certainly that. He arrived in Scotland having been defeated just once in his nine-year professional career yet this was his only his third bout in more than two years.
He has never fully recovered from losing to Australian Michael Katsidis at West Ham United’s Upton Park with the interim version of the lightweight championship at stake.
This was Burns’ first-ever fight at the SECC and a dream come true for him. The noise was incredible, the atmosphere electric.
Michael Buffer, the legendary ring announcer from Pennsylvania, was flown in from the United States to conduct the formalities. His appearance in the ring was as eagerly-anticipated as that of both boxers.
Hasim Rahman, who famously relieved Lennox Lewis of his heavyweight titles in 2001, bids to become world champion once again tomorrow when he tackles Russia's WBA belt-holder Alexander Povetkin in Hamburg.
Despite his 40th birthday fast approaching, the American believes his record of 50 victories in his 60 fights - 41 inside the distance - can stand up to examination.
"When I am on top, nobody can absorb the power of my punches," said Rahman.
The likes of Lewis can testify to that. The Briton lost his WBC and IBF crowns in 2001 in a stunning fifth round knockout in South Africa before he regained them in a fourth-round knockout seven months later.
The Baltimore fighter, nicknamed "The Rock", then lost to Wladimir Klitschko in 2008 in Mannheim when the IBF, WBO and IBO titles were up for grabs.
Rahman has won his last five fights, but all were low-key events.
Povetkin, 33, defeated Ruslan Chagaeva in 2008 to win the WBA heavyweight title and has defended it with wins over Cedric Boswell and Marco Huck.
Read More: SABC News-com - Boxing: The Rock Rahman targets heavyweight title again:Friday 28 September 2012
Boxer Floyd Mayweather has been ordered by a US judge to pay over $100,000 in legal costs after the American failed to answer questions from Manny Pacquiao's lawyers in a defamation case.
American federal judge Larry Hicks awarded Pacquiao about $113,000 in legal fees for his lawyers and $774 in costs, because of "Mayweather's obviously intentional decision not to appear for his court ordered deposition."
Pacquiao filed a lawsuit three years ago in Las Vegas, saying that Mayweather defamed him by suggesting Pacquiao used performance-enhancing substances. The lawsuit seeks unspecific damages.
"Calling a professional athlete a cheater is the most serious charge one can make," the lawsuit said. "Accusing an athlete of using performance-enhancing drugs - however baseless and lacking in evidence - is toxic."
Filipino superstar Pacquiao and the undefeated Mayweather have never faced each other in the ring and the suit is viewed as one of the roadblocks to a much-anticipated mega fight.
US judge orders Mayweather to pay Pacquiao in defamation suit | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere
The much-maligned current heavyweight division is like a train with a pair of Diesel locomotives named Klitschko hauling a string of empty freight cars. As the final quarter of 2012 approaches, the train lurches forward, with little hope of light at the end of the tunnel.
On Saturday, WBA “regular” (don’t ask) heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin defended his title by stopping former two-time champion Hasim Rahman in the second round. Rahman’s best moment came in 2001, when he knocked out defending champion Lennox Lewis in an amazing upset. After Lewis returned the favor in a rematch, Rahman plodded along, winning many fights but losing regularly as well. At 39, he’s no George Foreman. Why the WBA named Rahman as Povetkin’s mandatory challenger makes about as much sense as its creation of “regular” and “super” champions.
Povetkin did what he was supposed to do in easily disposing of Rahman. But he did not show himself to be much of a threat to either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.
Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has announced the dates for the men`s and women`s Senior National boxing championships at their annual general body meeting in Patiala.
The Sahara 59th Senior Men`s National boxing championship will be held in Hyderabad from October 30 to November 4, while the 13th Senior Women Nationals will take place in Guwahati from November 25 to 29.
Meanwhile, Rajesh Bhandari was elected as the new Secretary General of IABF yesterday.
Bhandari has already served two terms as the Secretary General of the Federation earlier in his career.
During the AGM, it was also decided that the IABF will field teams for two foreign tours this month.
The Youth Indian men`s boxing team is slated to compete in the 33rd International Tammer Tournament in Tampere, Finland from October 18-21, while the Sub-Junior Men`s team will take part in a month long training-cum-competition program at Yangiabad, Uzbekistan from October 7 to November 7.
Former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson has had his visa to visit New Zealand cancelled.
And a speaking tour for the former heavyweight boxing champion was threatening to fall apart altogether as Australian immigration authorities said they've yet to decide whether to allow him into the country.
Tickets for appearances in New Zealand and five major Australian cities in November are still being promoted by a Sydney agency.
Tyson's 1992 rape conviction would normally prevent his entry in New Zealand and could be grounds for denial in Australia as well. He had been granted an exemption for New Zealand before that visa was cancelled, days after the prime minister spoke out against the visit.
Tyson was to speak at a November event in Auckland, the 'Day of the Champions' which is being promoted by Sydney agency Markson Sparks!
New Zealand's Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson said she'd initially granted entry because a children's health charity would get some of the proceeds from Tyson's speech. She said in a statement her decision was 'a finely balanced call' but that the charity that would have benefited, the Life Education Trust, withdrew its support on Tuesday.
Read more: Former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson barred by New Zealand after charity snub | Mail Online
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Featherweight boxer Orlando Cruz, from Puerto Rico, has become the first openly gay man in the sport's history, describing himself Wednesday as a "proud gay man."
Cruz (18-2-1, 9 KOs), the No. 4-ranked featherweight by the WBO, said, "I've been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself.
"I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career. I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man."
Cruz, 31, began boxing at age 7, and his amateur career culminated in his selection to the 2000 Puerto Rican Olympic Team in Sydney. His teammates included former world champions Miguel Cotto and Ivan Calderon.
Cruz debuted as a professional in 2000 and won his first world title (vacant IBA, a lesser title) on March 22, 2008. His next fight is Oct. 19 in Kissimmee, Fla., when he will defend his WBO NABO title against Jorge Pazos. A win could put Cruz in line for a major title shot.
Orlando Cruz becomes boxing's first openly gay man | Detroit Free Press | freep-com
“I thank USA Boxing for giving me the possibility of working with its boxers. I am very satisfied and happy for this opportunity,” said Roque Otano. “I promise to put all my national and international experience to the service of the development of boxing in the United States and to work continuously to achieve medals in all the World Championships, Pan American Games and Olympic Games in men’s and women’s boxing.”
With over 40 years of experience on the amateur boxing scene, Roque Otano has led athletes from multiple nations to medal-winning performances at every major international event. He boasts 35 Olympic medals, including 11 gold as well as 43 medals at the World Championships over his career. In addition to his competition success, Roque Otano holds a doctorate degree as well as several masters degrees in applied sports sciences. Highly respected at the international level, Roque Otano has taught Olympic solidarity classes in more than 20 nations across the globe, helping to raise the performance of the athletes in key international competitions.
Read More: USA Boxing News - Pedro Roque Otano Pegged as International Teaching Coach