Zanders served as an assistant coach for the United States team at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games where America won a gold medal through light heavyweight Andre Ward - now the WBA super middleweight champion - and a bronze medal through middleweight Andre Dirrell.

Zanders will be hoping for more success in London with the United States having claimed a total of 108 Olympic boxing medals in their history - more than any other country - while they also boast some of the most famous Olympic boxers of all time including Rome 1960 heavyweight champion Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) and Montreal 1976 light heavyweight gold medallist Sugar Ray Leonard.

"Being selected as the Olympic head coach for the 2012 Olympics is a tremendous honour as well as a great challenge," Zanders said.

"The Olympic Games is one the largest stages in sport and having had the opportunity to take part in it before, I truly understand the magnitude of the task in front of me.

"With the 2012 Olympics being the first for women's boxing, London holds even more importance for our sport and the significance of that is not lost on me."

Zanders is set to have the best possible support in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics with Roach, widely considered the best professional trainer in the world set to work with the team before they head to London next year.

Roach, whose stable of fighters includes the world's best pound-for-pound boxer Manny Pacquiao and Britain's WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (pictured), was present at the US Olympic trials in Alabama that saw ten boxers provisionally qualify for London 2012.

"I'm here to help Joe," he said.

Roach will not be able to be in the corner of the US boxers at London 2012 even if he wanted to due to the controversial rule from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) that bans professional trainers from being in the corner at the Olympics.

Roach nevertheless he is still happy to help with US Olympic preparations but warns he will have his work cut out for London 2012.

"There is a lot of work to do as many of the boxers are still very young," he said.

"This group doesn't have the overall experience of some of our teams in the past and that's something we're going to have to deal with."

Roach said a couple of boxers caught his eye at the US Olympic trials, including 23-year-old Michael Hunter from Las Vegas, who won the heavyweight division.

"Michael's much more experienced than the other boxers," Roach said.

"He was very impressive.

"I also liked Jose Ramirez, the 132-pound kid from California.

"He looked very good."

Roach will get hands-on time with Hunter, Ramirez and the other eight winners at the end of this month as he will spend two weeks with the team in Colorado Springs.

Roach will also bring some of his professional fighters from his famous Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood to work with the Olympic hopefuls.

To qualify for the Olympics, the US Olympic trial winners must finish among the top six in their weight classes at the AIBA World Championships this September and October in Baku in Azerbaijan.

"I'll be patient with them," Roach added.

"We're not going to change them overnight but we'll work with them and get them better."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2011: Pacquiao trainer to help US boxers for London 2012