By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com has been advised that USA Boxing has nominated Basheer Abdullah as the new head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team.
Abdullah, current head coach of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, would replace Joe Zanders, who held the position from August of 2011 until earlier this month, when he vacated the post. Zanders will continue to work with USA Boxing in a different capacity heading into this summer’s London Games.
According to an interview with The Independent, former British national team coach Terry Edwards, who has been putting the Olympic tournament arrangements together as technical operations manager, had been in formal negotiations with USA Boxing regarding the spot but ultimately declined.
“To say I was flattered is an understatement as this is probably the top job in world amateur boxing,” Edwards said. “But to do it properly I would have needed the full support of the American coaches and I really don't want to get into political hassles at this stage of my life.”
Although the United States has won 109 medals in Olympic boxing to pace the rest of the world in the history books, the Americans have secured just one gold medal in the last three Games, capped by a disastrous run in Beijing 2008 that yielded only one bronze from heavyweight Deontay Wilder.
That gold medal, won by then-light heavyweight Andre Ward, occurred under Abdullah’s watch in his first tour of duty as head coach in Athens eight years ago. Now the St. Louis native and 2002 USA Boxing Coach of the Year would get a second chance to bring the program back to prominence.
Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com , check out his blog at norcalboxing.net or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
