As the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in
London get closer, U.S.A Boxing will prepare itself for redemption.
At the 2008 Olympic Games held in China, U.S.A Boxing had its worst
showing of all time capturing just one medal. On top of that the
U.S.'s one medal was just a bronze captured by heavyweight Deontay
Wilder who since has turned pro. In Olympic history U.S.A Boxing
holds the record for most medals and gold medals all time in Boxing.
Over the history of the Olympic Games
the U.S.A Boxing team has been a source of pride, featuring many
Boxers that would go on to have Hall of Fame careers, including
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya,
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roy Jones Jr., and recently Andre Ward among
others. Greatness in almost any fighters back ground can be traced
back to his amateur days with U.S. Boxing. What will this year hold
for the U.S.A.? Will we see a gold medal? Could we see the next Hall
of Famer? One man from Staten Island, New York Marcus Browne, may just
claim both a gold this year and one day possibly a H.O.F. Ring.
It's hard to tell the future obviously,
if anyone could we would all be rich. But 21 year old Marcus Browne
may have the pedigree it takes to get himself into both elite classes
of the Boxing world. Browne earlier this year in May at the America's
Qualifier tournament in Brazil qualified himself for the 2012 London
Games. Ranked as the number one Light heavyweight amateur in the U.S.
Browne has enjoyed success throughout his amateur career, capturing
golden gloves, winning national championships and now even a 2012
Olympic athlete. But it's not the accomplishments and accolades that
will bring Browne success, it's something else that some may never
get taught. The lesson of adversity.
For hundreds of years men have enjoyed
success in there amateur and pro careers in Boxing, but what really
defines a great fighter isn't when there winning, but how they can
rebound from tough situations. It's that moment when someone gets
knocked down or losses, that we find there true worth. Some fighters
will crumble, but the true champions battle through to greatness. This
is a key detail the 2008 Olympic team was missing, they simply hadn't been
tested enough. So when things got tough the young amateurs were
crushed leaving the U.S. Know where to be found on the medal stands.
This year U.S.A Boxing has some of the guys who can battle through
tough times. One of those men is the Light heavyweight Marcus Browne.
Going into last years 2011 World
Championships, Marcus Browne was cruising his way to an easy bid to
the 2012 Olympic Games. It was there though that he would be tested.
Browne who only needed a few more victories to punch his ticket was
defeated. Browne however stayed focused on the prize. Instead of
taking the easy way out and turning pro, Browne stuck with U.S.A
Boxing.
Training harder then ever in the gym, Browne found his way back
to the 2012 National Championships earlier this year in March at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs. Browne leveled the competition through
out the tournament, until he got to the finals where he would meet up
with one of Fort Caron's favorites, the Army's own Steve Nelson.
Against Steve Nelson, Browne also learned more about fighting through
adversity.
With over 97% of the crowd cheering for
Nelson every punch landed was even more dramatic. And when Browne
slipped in the first round, the crowd gave a huge roar thinking it was
a knock down, the extremely biased crowd clearly wanted a loss
from Browne and a win for Nelson. But once again Browne fought his way through the bout,
and even more impressively he did it being pressured up against the
ropes for most of the night. Browne won the bout in a hostile
environment that mentally weak amateurs would have let get the best
of them.
Marcus Browne then was off to the
America's Qualifier tournament where he put a rubber stamp on his
journey to the 2012 London games. Browne cruised his way through to
win the gold medal, and ensure himself a spot this time at the 2012
Olympic games.
Marcus Browne has been through the
ringer and made his way back without melting down at any point. Marcus
Browne is mentally ready to take any challenge in London as he heads
towards his gold medal hopes. But if it's still physical ability and
pure Boxing skills you want, then Marcus Browne has them as well.
The
lengthy 6'2 Light heavyweight southpaw has great hand speed, as well
as great strength that can make his opponents night bad very quick
with a stoppage. On top of that with the help of legendary trainer
Teddy Atlas, Browne has been getting the knowledge and expertise of
one of the greatest trainers of all time. Atlas has worked
extensively to help Marcus Browne sand off his rough edges in the
ring. The same tips Atlas learned along the way with heavyweights
Mike Tyson and Alexander Povetkin.
So just what are realistic expectations
for Marcus Browne? Olympic gold medal? Future Hall of Famer? Before
you answer, just ask yourself-- What separates the talented athletes
from the great ones? Every athlete at the pro level of Boxing, NFL,
NBA, NHL, Etc. is talented. What makes the great ones so great, is
how much adversity they have to battle through in there journey to
get to the top. When things get bad the greatest athletes know how to handle it because they have been there before. Browne still has plenty of learning to do at the pro
level. However If I had to bet one way or the
other, I would bet on Marcus Browne being the next best thing in
Boxing, and the next U.S.A Boxing gold medalist.