A knock-out 2020 Championship brings event accolades

USA Boxing will return to Shreveport, Louisiana for the 2021 edition of the USA Boxing National Championships at the Shreveport Convention Center, Dec. 5-11.

“The 2020 USA Boxing National Championship was a huge success at the Shreveport Convention Center, the largest to date, and we are thrilled to have it come back to Shreveport-Bossier City,” said Kelly Wells, executive director of the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. “With an estimated economic impact of $3.9 million, Shreveport, Bossier City and the State of Louisiana are proud to host the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships in December. On behalf of the Sports Commission team and Shreveport-Bossier community, I would like to thank the USA Boxing family for entrusting us with this incredible event, as well as Lt. Gov. Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Shreveport Convention Center, Hilton Shreveport and the local boxing community. We’ll deliver nothing less than world-class hospitality in sportsman’s paradise.”

USA Boxing was honored at the 2021 TEAMS Conference and Expo in Atlantic City, N.J., with the 2021 SportsTravel Award for the success of the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships held this past March and April in Shreveport, La.

This year’s SportsTravel Awards honored the organizations, events and individuals who went above and beyond during the challenging and historical year, as well as found ways to move the industry forward.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by our industry peers,” stated Michael Campbell, USA Boxing events and operations manager.

“It is at the TEAMS conference and other sports tourism meetings like it where we make connections to better accommodate future event needs. The relationships formed in these meetings are what made this great event possible. When we needed them, the city of Shreveport, along with the Louisiana Office of Tourism, found us exactly what we required to hold the event and brought on board additional partners such as LSU Health Shreveport to ensure a safe environment for our athletes, coaches and staff.”

Following a year of cancellations due to COVID-19, the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships were scheduled to be their first national tournament since December 2019 in Lake Charles, La. However, after Hurricane Laura struck the city, and the tournament was moved to Shreveport before being postponed until March 2021.

These championships saw USA Boxing implement COVID-19 protocols designed to ensure the safety of all participants, as well as the members of the Shreveport community. With limited capacity, USA Boxing event staff worked alongside the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and the Shreveport Downtown Development Authority to livestream bouts at local restaurants to encourage visitors to spend money in the local community.

In the end, the event ended up being USA Boxing’s largest national tournament in history with over 1,000 bouts contested during the nine days of competition.

“USA Boxing went above and beyond during a very challenging year to make the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships happen, while ensuring our community, athletes, coaches and their families all stayed safe,” said Sara Nelms, director of sales and events for the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. “They partnered with our local businesses to keep tourism dollars in our community and never stopped thinking of ways to move the industry forward. We were honored to nominate USA Boxing for this prestigious award and couldn’t be more proud to have hosted their event in Shreveport-Bossier City.”

Criteria for selection include organizations, events or individuals who demonstrated not only resolve in the face of the current challenges but also reflected what is best about the people and the organizations in the sports-event industry.

“We are eager to once again host the USA Boxing National Championship and welcome some of the best athletes from across the country to Shreveport,” Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins. “We are confident that this year’s event will be another success and look forward to experiencing an athletic tournament of this caliber right here in Shreveport.”

The 2021 USA Boxing National Championships will be a ticketed event for those in attendance who are not registered and credentialed for the event, excluding finals on Saturday, Dec. 11, which will be a fully ticketed event, unless boxing or working a corner.

Ticket pricing can be found on the USA Boxing National Championship website, and tickets will be available at the Shreveport Convention Center Box Office beginning Sunday, Dec. 5.