Team USA Open Workout on Thursday, September 30 at Noon at Crunch Lafayette Location in New York City

NEW YORK, N.Y.) – The 13-person squad of elite U.S. Olympic-style boxers will close their training camp for “Empires Collide” – a USA vs. China Dual with an open workout on Thursday, September 30th at Noon at the Lafayette location of Crunch in New York.

The U.S. team, which is made of 10 men and three women, will compete in all 13 Olympic weight divisions that will be contested in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Three women’s weight divisions have been added to the Olympic docket while the men’s weight classes have been reduced to 10, with the lowest three weight classes being altered from the divisions contested in the 2008 Olympic Games.

The USA vs. China dual will be a critical competitive opportunity for the U.S. boxers, providing them with in-ring experience against a unique style that they often do not see in the United States. “This is the first international dual for several of the boxers and will give them some great experience, not just from a competition standpoint but for the chance to interact with the Chinese Team sharing their cultures,” U.S. Team Coach Gloria Peek said.

Team USA is being led into action by former National Champions Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.), Patricia Manuel (Commerce, Calif.) and Alyssa DeFazio (Phoenix, Ariz.). Welterweight Alex Martin (Crest Hill, Ill.) will face China fresh off his international victory in Rome at the USA vs. Italy Dual on September 8. They will be joined by 2010 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalists Tyrieshia Douglas (Baltimore, Md.), Ricky Rodriguez (Greeley, Colo.), Eric Flores (Ingle, Calif.), Michael Reed (Waldorf, Md.), Jesse Hart (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Danny Kelly (Washington DC). U.S. National Team members Santos Vasquez (Sun Valley, Nev.), Marquice Weston (Tacoma, Wash.) and Joshua Temple (St. Louis, Mo.) will round out the U.S. roster

Coaches Gloria Peek (Norfolk, Va.) and Don Givens (Linden, N.J.) have led the training camp since the U.S. team’s arrival in Pennsylvania and will join the U.S. team at the open workout on Thursday. The U.S. squad has been training at the Fernwood Hotel and Resort in Bushkill, Pa., since September 24, but will travel to New York for Thursday’s open workout.

“I am excited for the boxers to have the opportunity to compete against the Chinese Team and feel very honored to be a part of this great experience,” Peek said. “This event being the first time that the Chinese Team will compete against the U.S. Team on U.S. soil says something about the excellent and positive relationship that USA Boxing has built with the Chinese Boxing Federation.”

The USA Boxing open workout will begin at noon at Crunch with the squad running through a wide range of boxing training elements, including bag work, shadow boxing and mitts in addition to interview opportunities.