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National boxing event in Youngsville could replace LAGCOE

Posted at 10:05 AM, Mar 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-01 12:31:53-05

On Friday morning, officials from Lafayette Parish announced that a national boxing event is headed to Youngsville.

The City of Youngsville and its Sports Complex will host the Sugar Bert Boxing National Qualifiers from October 18-20, 2019. At a press conference, officials said that there is a possibility for Lafayette to host the National Championships at the Cajundome in 2020 and 2021.

The three-day, two-ring event will begin with registration on Friday, competition on Saturday, and championship on Sunday. The event is expected to bring in 500 boxers to Lafayette Parish for competition. A third ring and fourth day of competition could be added if the number of boxers exceeds expectations.

Officials say an event of this size could potentially replace the LAGCOE conference that was previously held each year at the Cajundome.

President of Sugar Bert Boxing, Bert Wells was present at the press conference for the announcement.

Wells says that Lafayette’s culture speaks to the diversity of the boxers that his team brings in for events and that the multi-year deal is expected to grow from the Youngsville Sports Complex to the Cajundome.

Mayor-President Joel Robideaux says that bringing Sugar Bert Boxing to the parish was part of the focus of Lafayette’s CREATE Program.

Robideaux says that CREATE will sponsor the event and leverage the funds needed to host.

“Without the Sports Complex and the vision of the citizens of Youngsville,” Robideaux adds. “The event would not have been possible.”

Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter says that sports competitions like boxing were the type of events for which the complex was designed. According to Ritter, Youngsville has become a destination for baseball, softball, and soccer.