Ready or not, Thomas Covington is set to make his international debut as a member of Team USA.
Trainer Khalil Harvey Snr says Covington is ready – but there is work left to be done.
Covington was one of seven boxers selected to represent Team USA at the World Boxing Cup in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, which will take place from March 31 to April 5.
Covington, from Detroit, will likely be one of the more talented young fighters in the mix if boxing is included in the 2028 Olympic Games. Making the international competition team for USA Boxing is the first step toward achieving that goal.
“You know, it is hard to make the team,” Harvey told BoxingScene. “He went through a lot of ups and downs with it. He made the selection camp and he leaves this Sunday, March 2, to get ready to go to Brazil for two weeks.”
At nationals this year, Covington, who competes at 132lbs, didn’t lose a round. He was named the Elite Male Outstanding Boxer of the tournament. Covington doesn’t turn 19 until next month.
“I got to wait and see how he competes against international competition,” Harvey said. “We don't know what international competition really looks like because we did spar a guy from India in the selection camp. We had four guys from Ireland in the past, but his skills have improved since then, and I just got to see the formula of what they are, what they judging on and how they allow us to compete.”
Harvey calls himself a student of boxing, so Covington’s first international tournament will be a learning experience for both. He wants to get a feel for how the bouts will be scored.
“I believe we got the skill set to compete,” Harvey said. “I believe we got the knowledge to compete, but we got to see what the judges and the rest are looking at to see if it is the same as a domestic fight.”
Harvey has served as both a father figure and trainer for Covington. Shanique Watkins, Covington’s mother, gave Harvey custody of her child at an early age. Harvey has formed a deep bond – one both fighter and trainer hope will lead to an Olympic medal.
“He called me the day he got the position and told me how much he loved me and appreciates what we've done together,” Harvey said with a smile. “Then he called me the day he won and said, ‘We did this. We really did this.’”
Harvey recalls his reaction to that moment.
“It was a beautiful feeling hearing him say that,” Harvey said. “When he called me and told me that, I parked my truck, I jumped out the car and I started hollering and screaming like ‘We did that!’ It's a proud moment, as well as it allows me to see that the formula that I put into the kitchen [that] the recipe is working.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
