(FEB 27)MEXICO CITY, MEXICO –
Twenty-three year old amateur boxer, Sulem Urbina, a Mexican
born, U.S. resident, returned to her Team Mexico training camp
in Mexico City after winning a gold medal in the 112 lb/51 kg
division at the Independence Cup Amateur National Championships.
The international competition tournament, which included
participants from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, United
States, Brazil, and Mexico, was held February 10-February 14,
2014, at the amphitheater located on the campus of the
Universidad Technologica de Santiago (UTESA) in Santiago,
Dominican Republic.
Urbina, who regularly trains at
Knockout Boxing Club in Phoenix, Arizona, won the gold medal by
winning three fights in five days. In the quarterfinals on
February 10, Urbina defeated Arisleyda Santiago of the Dominican
Republic by a score of 3:0. In the semi-finals on February 12,
she defeated Zaida Enriquez of Mexico by a score of 3:0. In the
finals, held on February 14, she won the gold medal by defeating
Clelia Costa of Brazil by a score of 2:1. Her amateur record now
stands at 58-10.
Sulem talked about winning the Independence Cup and what it
meant to her. She said, “I’m really happy to have won this
tournament. It’s a great start to competing in future
international competitions. I’ve always trained hard and want to
be the best, so that others can have a positive example to
follow. I want my brother Alexis to be proud of me and I want
his story to be known and never forgotten. I’m grateful to my
husband, manager and trainer, Andrews Soto, and my coaches on
Team Mexico, Mario Gonzalez and Francisco Bonilla, for guiding
me to a gold medal victory in the Independence Cup. A big thank
you to everyone that has been supportive of me.”
Coach Andrews Soto said, “Sulem is proving her dedication to the
sport of boxing. I’m impressed that she won nationals in Mexico,
and then continued winning at the international level. She is
very focused and driven right now. There is no doubt that the
death of her brother Alexis Urbina is fueling her.”
Soto discussed Team Urbina's immediate future. He said, “Sulem
is still in Mexico to train with her team. She will travel back
to Arizona next week and begin training for her next
competitions, which includes the Continental Championships and
the qualifiers for the Central American Games. I expect her to
continue competing and representing well in upcoming
international competitions. She has several community outreach
events coming up next month in Arizona and she also needs to
catch up on her college course work. Staying busy is always a
good thing. I’m just really proud of her.”
For any questions, interviews, or appearance requests, contact
Lorin Chvotkin of Team Urbina by email at
Lbchoyas@yahoo.com
or by phone at +1 (240) 498 1478.
Photos in Story: Courtesy/ Team Urbina
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