Toka Kahn-Clary on Road to London

Posted on | February 25, 2011 | No Comments

PROVIDENCE (February 25, 2011) – U.S. Olympic Boxing Team hopeful Toka Kahn- Clary, an 18-year-old senior at E3 Academy in Providence, has started 2011 in winning fashion having already won gold medals at three different tournaments.

The Liberia-native who moved to Providence 12 years ago opened 2011 by taking top honors at the New England Tournament of Champions at Foxwoods Casino, followed by a gold-medal performance in the Northeast Regional Championships at Lake Placid, New York. This past Tuesday night at the New England Golden Gloves Tournament in Lowell (MA), Toka captured gold in the 132-pound lightweight division, one year after he won it all in the 123-pound bantamweight class. Two years ago, he won a silver medal at the New Englands as a 16-year-old.

Kahn-Clary, whose amateur record is a sparkling 69-6, has qualified for The USA Boxing National Championships, June 20-25, at Colorado Springs. The top four finishers will qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to box for a spot on the squad competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Peter Manfredo, Sr. has trained Kahn-Clary at Manfredo’s Gym in Pawtucket since the prodigy first laced-up a pair of boxing gloves. “Toka is one of the best boxers I’ve ever coached,” Manfredo said. “He’s going to be an even better pro boxer because I’ve always trained him that way. Toka doesn’t throw pitter-patter punches; he has great speed, power, heart and trains like an animal. He runs four miles every morning before he goes to school and is in the gym every day for at least three hours. He will do whatever it takes to get on the U.S. Olympic Team. In addition to his boxing talent, Toka is a real good kid who listens.”

The highlight of Kahn-Clary’s amateur boxing career, thus far, was winning the bantamweight title at the National Golden Gloves Tournament.

If Toka qualifies as a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, it will mark the third straight Olympics in which Rhode Island is represented, joining Jason Estrada and Demetrius Andrade from the 2004 and 2008 squads, respectively.