A Mission For Greatness

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.