Area boxing fans will get a double bonus with this year’s Eastern Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships, which are set for Oct. 8-13 at the Chattanooga Convention Center with more than 650 fighters ranging in age from 8 to 40. Also at the convention center, on Saturday, Oct. 6, and again on Friday, Oct. 12, elite men and women boxers from the United States will square off against top fighters from Germany as part of their preparation for the 2020 Olympics. “We are excited to host the German Federation, as they have hosted us numerous times for training camps over the past two years,” USA Boxing’s high performance director, Matt Johnson, said in a recent release. “This will be a great competition and a great opportunity for USA Boxing to showcase our next generation of Olympic hopefuls on home soil.” The release said Team USA is expected to include 2017 Elite World Championship medalists Troy Isley of Alexandria, Virginia, Duke Ragan of Cincinnati and Freudis Rojas Jr. of Las Vegas, along with two-time world medalist Christina Cruz of New York City, 2016 youth world champ Delante Johnson of Cleveland, Ohio, 2016 youth world bronze medalist Richard Torrez Jr. of California and a half dozen or so other international medalists.
Fishing
* Thursday’s first round in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament on Lake Chatuge in northeastern Georgia stretched the Elite Series points lead for Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, from nine to 53 – even with just 13 pounds, 6 ounces for his five-bass limit. That was the day’s sixth-best total, and he figures a top-eight finish will guarantee him the AOY trophy and the $100,000 bonus that goes with it. The top 50 in points will divide $1 million, and Jacob Wheeler of Harrison was ninth and Wesley Strader of Spring City 29th with two days to go. After Thursday’s second-best total of 15-0, Wheeler was only 13 points behind sixth-place Ott Defoe of Blaine, Tennessee. James Elam of Oklahoma took the lead for the tournament’s $25,000 top prize with 16-10. Strader was 27th at 10-5.
Football
* Sewanee ends its three-game football homestand Saturday against undefeated Millsaps in a Southern Athletic Association game kicking off at 2 p.m. EDT. Each team is 1-0 in SAA play. The visiting Majors are 3-0 for the first time since 2013, and the Tigers are hoping to be 3-1 for the first time since a 4-0 start in 2001. Sewanee is 25-43-3 against Millsaps and has lost the last 12 meetings, but the last two were by three and four points. This is Family Weekend.