15rounds.com congratulates Norm Frauenheim for winning the Nat Fleischer award

The Boxing Writers Association of America is pleased to announce its first award recipient for 2008. It is Norm Frauenheim of Arizona, who has won the 2008 Nat Fleischer award for “Excellence in Boxing Journalism.”

Only past winners of the Fleischer award are allowed to vote in this category. Frauenheim had been close so many times in past years that eventually it was thought he would break through. This was the year it happened.

Currently Frauenheim works as a columnist for 15rounds.com and is a contributor for the ringonline. Before that, Frauenheim worked at the Arizona Republic for over 30 years. Frauenheim retired from the newspaper this past Aug. 31 but his body of work left a lasting legacy.

Frauenheim started covering boxing in 1988, when he was assigned to follow the career of Phoenix’s Michael Carbajal. Frauenheim reported on Carbajal as he won a silver medal in Seoul, and continued to do so for the junior flyweight’s hall of fame career as a professional.

In addition to covering boxing for the Republic, Frauenheim reported on several more Olympics and was the beat writer for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

Frauenheim’s last assignment was the 2008 Bejing Olympics. His primary beats were Michael Phelps, wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo and boxing.

Norm Frauenheim will be honored at the BWAA’s annual dinner to be held this June 12 in New York.