I love the Beat The Streets event for a million different reasons. Obviously, the organization's founding purpose to fund wrestling programs in inner-city areas that may not have been exposed to the sport is a big factor. It's a great concept, and it is desperately needed in this sport. The other reason that I love the event so much is that it makes the entire wrestling world stand still and pay attention to one singular, solitary star-studded dual meet. Add in the patriotism of USA versus another country, the pageantry of Times Square, and incredible individual matchups and that makes for a must-see event every year.

This year's edition on Wednesday, May 17, is no exception to the rule. While the United States team that we put together may very well be the best that we have ever assembled, the Jordan Oliver versus Frank Chamizo match is the one that made me stop dead in my tracks.



Considering the success that Chamizo has had on a world stage and that he has been involved in some of the most epic matches in recent history there is surprisingly little footage out there of him competing. They do have a few common opponents, namely Frank Molinaro who Chamizo wrestled in the Olympic bronze match and who Oliver wrestled (most recently) in the U.S. Open Finals.

Below is Chamizo's finals bout at the 2016 Medved with two-time world and Olympic champion Soslan Romanov (pay no mind to actual final score, Chamizo was the victim of some pretty liberal officiating). This is a perfect example of what Chamizo is capable of at BTS.



Oliver put together the best performance of his career at the U.S. Open, so if you're into riding the hot hand, JO is your guy. 



Here are some key points that I see in this one:

Chamizo

2-On-1 Control

As you can see in the Romonov match, Chamizo can dictate the pace of a match. Check out how he takes both of his hands to Romonov's attack hand whenever the pace of the match starts to slip in Romonov's favor.

Just When You Think You've Got Him...

Chamizo's single-leg defense is unparalleled. He turns back into an opponent better than anyone I've seen. He does it to Romonov in the match above.

Jordan Oliver

Get To Both Legs

One thing that isn't spoken about too much is that Jordan Oliver is one of the more powerful guys at 65kg. He has the capability to motor through a double on just about anyone.

Get Him Steppin'

If I were Oliver and I took a leg attack and wound up with just one leg in my hand, I would make sure to make a beeline toward the out of bounds to get the step-out point. It's the safest bet. 

Chamizo has been in the NYC area for a little while now. When Mark Bader came back with the footage of Chamizo sparring at the NYC RTC, we all clambered around watching him squirrel his way out of situations. It goes without saying that this will be a battle, but what I think is most interesting is that it will be a battle of wills. Can Chamizo's defense handle the Oliver's high-powered offense. We'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out, but check out some positions that Chamizo got into at the NYC RTC practices as some food for thought.

Chamizo Sparring With Junior World Medalist Khasankhusein Badrudinov


Chamizo Sparing With Oklahoma State Coach Zach Esposito


Chamizo Sparring With Olympic Gold Medalist Helen Maroulis

Don't miss a second of this year's BTS event. Here is the schedule for the event and the match order for the feature dual meet:

3 PM -- Beat the Streets Youth Exhibition Matches
4:45 PM -- NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships
6 PM -- Team USA vs. Team Japan

Match 1: Daton Fix (USA) vs. Austin DeSanto (USA)
Match 2: 48kg Victoria Anthony (USA) vs. Yuki Irie (Japan)
Match 3: 69kg Tamyra Mensah (USA) vs. Miwa Morikawa (Japan)
Match 4: 58kg Helen Maroulis (USA) vs. Yuzuru Kumano (Japan)
Match 5: 65kg Jordan Oliver (USA) vs. Frank Chamizo (ITALY)
Match 6: 57kg Anthony Ramos (USA) vs. Rinya Nakamura (Japan)
Match 7: 61kg Logan Stieber (USA) vs. Shingo Arimoto (Japan)
Match 8: 65kg Zain Retherford (USA) vs. Daichi Takatani (Japan)
Match 9: 70kg James Green (USA) vs. Nobuyoshi Takojima (Japan)
Match 10: 86kg David Taylor (USA) vs. Takahiro Murayama (Japan)
Match 11: 97kg Kyle Snyder (USA) vs. Koki Yamamoto (Japan)
Match 12: 125kg Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) vs. Katsutoshi Kanazawa (Japan)
Match 13: 74kg Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Sohsuke Takatani (Japan)

The entire event will be steaming LIVE on FloWestling starting 3 PM on Wednesday, May 17.

How To Watch

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