Champion boxer Alexis Lavarine earns December Amateur Athlete of the Month Honor

NEW ORLEANS – Alexis Lavarine, a six-time national champion amateur boxer, has been selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for December. Monthly award-winners are chosen in voting by the Greater New Orleans Sports Award Selection Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Lavarine, a 15-year old Olympic hopeful, captured the 2017 USA Amateur Boxing Championship (her second straight title) in the 154-pound weight class. The event was held from December 3-9 in Salt Lake City and Lavarine won all of her bouts by unanimous decision. Her goal is to represent the United States in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The victory in Utah marked Lavarine’s sixth national championship – she is a four-time Ringside World Champion and a two-time Junior National Champion (including December’s victory). She has also been a Junior Olympian and is part of the Team USA Boxing Team. When not boxing, she is a standout for the Fontainebleau High School basketball team.

Lavarine edged another talented field for the honor. Jared Butler led the Riverside Academy basketball team to a perfect 19-0 December, including three tournament championships in which he earned MVP honors; Virgil Davison keyed Xavier University’s perfect December in men’s basketball, averaging 17.2 points per game; and UNO women’s basketball star Randi Brown averaged 23.3 points per game, including a give-game streak of 25-point performances.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee has been selecting an Amateur Athlete of the Month each month since 1957. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region in order to be eligible. Each of the monthly award winners will be honored in the summer at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.