Fuller vs. Jones is the new “Bout of the Week” on USA Wrestling Members-Only website

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
05/13/2004


USA Wrestling has updated its new "Bout of the Week" on USA Wrestling's Members-Only website.    The featured match this week will be the Mark Fuller vs. T.J. Jones final match in the Championship Series at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. at the 1988 Olympic Trials in Greco-Roman wrestling.    The matches were held in Pensacola, Fla. This is the second match of the championship series and was a competitive battle between the lightweight stars.    After Fuller defeated Jones in the series, he qualified for his third U.S. Olympic team. Four years later, in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in Concord, Calif., Fuller won again, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to qualify for four Olympic teams. His record was tied in 1996, when freestyle superstar Bruce Baumgartner made his fourth U.S. team.    Fuller's first Olympic team was in 1980, when he was still a high school wrestler from California. Along with the other members of that Olympic team, Fuller was unable to compete in the Moscow Olympic Games because of the U.S.-government boycott (due to the invasion of Afghanistan). Fuller came back and qualified in 1984, and was able to wrestle in his first Olympic Games at the Los Angeles Games. He also competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, as well as the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Fuller did not win a medal in any of his three Olympic Games appearances.    For many years, Fuller was among the best Greco-Roman wrestlers in the nation. During the non-Olympic years, he often competed up a weight class at 114.5 pounds, and had a nice rivalry with young American star Shawn Sheldon at that division. When the Olympic years came around, Fuller was able to effectively lose the weight to make 105.5 pounds and beat the rest of the U.S. wrestlers at that weight class.    Fuller competed in five World Championships, three times at 105.5 pounds and twice at 114.5 pounds. He placed ninth in the 1989 World meet and 10th in the 1991 World meet. Among his other international achievements was a bronze medal at the 1991 World Cup and a bronze medal at the 1988 Pan American Championships. Five times Fuller won USA Wrestling national Greco-Roman titles, all at 114.5 pounds. He was also a Junior World medallist at the beginning of his career.     Jones also a champion athlete at his weight class, competing with the U.S. Navy team. He competed in two World Championships for the USA, in 1982 and 1985. He and Fuller were actually teammates on that 1985 U.S. World Team, and Jones placed an impressive fifth in the World Championships that year.     Jones won a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games, and was also 1984 World Cup silver medalist. He won four USA Wrestling national titles, including the 105.5-pound title in 1988, leading into the Olympic Trials process that year. Jones was also very successful competing in the Armed Forces Championships during his career.    Fuller and Jones were among the most successful U.S. wrestlers ever at 105.5 pounds in Greco-Roman. The final U.S. competitor in that division was Mujaahid Maynard at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The next year, the number of weight classes were changed from 10 to eight, and the lowest weight class was moved up to 119 pounds. Now, at seven weight classes, the lightest wrestlers in international wrestling weigh 121 pounds. The lightning quick lightweights at 105.5 pounds are no longer part of international wrestling.     This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history.     Moving into the archived section of Bouts of the Week was last week's 1988 Nate Carr vs. Andre Metzger men's freestyle match. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.     USA Wrestling has done a complete redesign and expansion of its Members-Only website, providing all USA Wrestling members with an impressive new resource stocked with interactive learning tools and entertaining features.     This on-line resource is available free of charge only to current members of USA Wrestling, one of the most exciting benefits of joining the organization.    USA Wrestling members will only need to enter the number from their 2003-04 membership card into an entry form, and the exciting new Members-Only page will become available to them.    RECENT BOUTS OF THE WEEK PLACED IN ARCHIVE  1988 Nate Carr vs. Andre Metzger men's freestyle match  2004 Jared Frayer vs. Eric Larkin men's freestyle match  1987 Bill Scherr vs. Greg Gibson men's freestyle match  1992 Dennis Koslowski vs. Andrzej Wronski men's Greco-Roman match  1989 Jim Scherr vs. Makharbek Khadartsev men's freestyle match  2003 Sally Roberts vs. Marianna Sastin women's freestyle match  1996 Melvin Douglas vs. Mike Van Arsdale men's freestyle match  1988 Ike Anderson vs. Buddy Lee men's Greco-Roman match  1996 Tom Brands vs. Jang Jae-Sung men's freestyle match  2004 Eric Larkin vs. T.J. Williams men's freestyle match  1992 Rodney Smith vs. Cecilio Rodriguez men's Greco-Roman match  1988 Rico Chiapparelli vs. Lukman Jabrailov men's freestyle match  2003 Kristie Marano vs. Ewelina Pruszko women's freestyle match  1999 Stephen Neal vs. Andrei Shumilin men's freestyle match  2003 Cael Sanderson vs. Sajid Sajidov men's freestyle match