Chicago’s Flexing Its Boxing Muscle

I’m not too keen on boxing, but believe it or not, I’m excited about the possibility that Chicago may host the 2007 World Boxing Championships next fall. It would mark the first major international competition in Chicago since being named the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) has awarded the 2007 World Boxing Championships to USA Boxing, which now must find a host city. The championships were scheduled for Moscow Sept. 15-30, but the AIBA pulled it because of uncertainty over the event’s organization. If Chicago is chosen to host the event, more than 600 athletes and 400 officials from more than 100 countries would converge on the city. The 2007 championships are also the sport’s first qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics.