(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Following Michael Hunter’s (Las Vegas, Nev.) voluntary withdrawal from the 2011 AIBA Men’s World Championships, Joseph Williams (Queens, N.Y.) will represent the United States at the heavyweight division in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Williams was the silver medalist in the heavyweight division at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men’s Boxing, and won a bronze medal at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships. Despite a late start in boxing, the 23-year-old Williams enjoyed a breakout year in 2011 and could earn a berth in London with a top six finish in Baku. He joins fellow New Yorker Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.) on the U.S. squad.
World Championships action will begin on Monday following Sunday’s official event draw. Live scoring will be shown on AIBA’s website at www.aiba.org , and for information on the event and the U.S. team, go to www.usaboxing.org .
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).