Harris set for National Amateur tourney

YOUNGSTOWN -- Buckeye Elks boxing trainer Frank West and his protege Josh Harris are leaving for Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday to prepare for the National Amateur Championships at the Olympic Training Center.
The championships will be contested from Monday-March 11. Bouts will be fought in a single-elimination venue that will decide National Amateur Championships and positions on the United States Olympic Boxing team.
Harris, 22, has a 19-8 amateur record and has trained with West at the Buckeye Elks since he was 14 years old. Last year, Harris won the Cleveland Golden Gloves cruiserweight title, but lost in the regionals.
Last month, Harris stopped Zach Taylor from Columbus and Jordan Shimmel from Detroit to win the regional Golden Gloves title. Taylor and Shimmel have a combined 92 amateur wins.
Harris, a working southpaw, said, "I am in great shape and ready for this experience."