When the U.S. Army’s National Boxing Team marches into town to face some of St. Louis’ best amateur talent at The Family Arena on April 20, they will be lead by Staff Sgt. Basheer Abdullah, a former St. Louisan who was the 2002 Coach of the Year and 2004 Olympic Team Coach.
The list of local fighters will include 12th & Park’s Barry and Terrell Dennis, North County’s Darwin Price and Cherokee’s heavyweight Decarlo Lewis. All will have the experience and guidance of trainers Jessie Davison and Kenny Loehr, our own 2006 Coach of the Year.
I caught up with Coach Abdullah on the phone this week between the team’s three daily workouts in Colorado Springs.
Before joining the Army, Abdullah said he was “all over the map” while growing in St. Louis but his last address was on the South Side. His military career began in 1984 as a mechanic and later Abdullah completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1985 and airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1987.
“The Army provided me with the opportunity to fulfill my Olympic dreams,” he said. “Not as an athlete but as a coach. It has allowed me to see the world and experience different cultures.”
Coach Abdullah and his squad will be arriving from Colorado a week before the matches in order to have several days to help local recruiters by speaking to high school youth about the programs and “different avenues that are available to them.”
Fighters to watch, he said, are Sgt. John Franklin in the 112-pound class and said his current national champion, 132-pound Carrie Berry.
But the Aptil 20 show won’t be the only event on his schedule. The next day Coach Abdullah will be inducted into the Gateway Classic Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame.
“It’s a great achievement and a true highlight of my career in amateur boxing,” he said of the Hall of Fame honor. “It’s special to be in a position to have an impact on youth and to show them that it’s Ok to leave sometimes in order to accomplish your goals and bring something back.”
He said “the Army Boxing Team is one the richest amateur programs.” “We train to win and we’re coming to win,” he said.
The “G.I.’s vs. The Joe’s” card is a lock to provide fireworks as elite fighters from the Army and St. Louis look to make good showings on their way to securing spots on next year’s U.S Olympic roster.
Jerail Singleton Triumphs at Olympic Trials
Speaking of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, seventeen-year-old Jerail Singleton from Gamble advanced to the U.S. Championships in the 106-pound class with his victory at the Midwestern Trials in Cincinnati last week. Singleton will travel with Coach Winston Shaw to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for his next challenge in June.
Golden Gloves Finals Tonight
The finals of the St. Louis Golden Gloves are tonight, Thursday, April 12 at the Ameristar Casino. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the first bell clangs at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $20 for ringside seats and $15 for general admission and will be available at the door.
The St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation and Ozark Boxing will present “The G.I.’s vs. The Joe’s” event Friday, April 20 at the Family Arena at 7:00 pm. Tickets start at $17 and are available by calling Gateway Classic at (314) 621-1994 or at www.metrotix.com.
