Luis Yanez kicked off Olympic team

[COladyref]

Quantis-

you were removed for lying and breaking the rules, lets not get it twisted, PS, USA Boxing needs a new Head Coach???? What one that will let you sneak girls in the room, or one that let's you break the rules and not have repercussions? You had your "day in court" you got to have your say and the decision was upheld, so now you get online and STILL do not tell the truth. Sad very sad!!!

Furthermore, was does this have to do with Yanez? you two both did not adhere to the rules and yet you both think you should be treated differently! You BOTH signed the Code of Conduct and you BOTH think that you can mess up here and there and still be allowed to do as you please and not FOLLOW the rules...........it's about time USA Boxing started enforcing the rules and policies, if you dont like them, then take up another sport that has NO rules, guidlines or policies!

[COladyref]

Did anyone listen to the interview on FIGHTBEAT.COM? it was ridiculous what was said about the coaching differences, saying they need/want their own coaches there..................have these guys NEVER seen the olympics before? Do they think EVERY coach in every sport has been allowed to go and all of a sudden their coaches have been denied access to them? Saying that they do not have hard workouts and their workouts at home were better??? I have seen these workouts, so if they think the coaches at the OTC are not as tough or their own personal coaches would be better, then WOW, they are crybabies! MANY of the personal coaches have gone to the OTC and been allowed there, so again, it amazes me these guys have selective memory!! USA Boxing should pay for the personal coaches to attend the Olympics......WOW! I think ALL of us officials that have been their at these matches (judged, ref'd, kept time|) that led up to these athlete's making it to the olympics should get our way paid too...................now I ask, what the heck sense does that make??? In the interview Yanez states he will see them (his teammates) on the 6th of July......hummmm, that goes against his statements to the press and he said he walks around in Colo Spgs at 117............isn't he suppose to be within 5lbs of his fighting weight???

[boxmel]

COladyref - I sincerely hope that you have the permission of USAB to post the remarks you have made. Others who have done so have been chastised by USAB and asked to not voice their information on this forum.

[Canada]

Q isn't hiding behind a pseudonym like so many others do.

Sorry - I don't understand your above comment.......

pseu·do·nym [sood-n-im] –noun a fictitious name used by an author to conceal his or her identity

[boxmel]

I understand what the word means. I just didn't understand your point in posting that Quantis isn't using an alias. There are many of us here who do not use aliases and who are more than willing to say who we are.

[Canada]

It was Dennis' comment not mine. I think we should wait to see how the U.S. team does in Bejing before we make final judgement. If the medals are high than maybe all these problems are worth it and the program is working. If not then the hassle and arguments arn't worth it if theres no results. I personally think the athletes should get to train with the trainers who got them to where they are and when its time to go to International Competion the National Team coaches come in, so you dont have around 30 coaches traveling.

[Athorn4941]

I think ALL of us officials that have been their at these matches (judged, ref'd, kept time|) that led up to these athlete's making it to the olympics should get our way paid too.

Watch your comments people might take that as personally rigging a match so a certain individual wins.

[COladyref]

boxmel-

I have not stated ANYTHING that was not listed in the numerous article's online and quote's from Yanez himself, so I am fine with what I've have stated. If you read ALL the article's and noticed the inconsitency in his statements, you may feel the way I do. In the radio interview it was stated the personal coaches should have their way paid to Beijing by USA Boxing, that is ridiculous! Did Reggie Bush's college coach get to tell the N.O Saints how to coach his player, do they get their way paid to the playoffs or a Superbowl? Warren is the only olympian I am aware of that has a personal coach that has international training, so IF the local coaches don't want their boxers to be taught in the international way and learn how to score on their opponents and make them better prepared for the olmpics, I would wonder what is THAT coaches motives?

As for Q-it is public knowledge what happened to him as well.


athorn4941- my statement was a joke, showing how ridiculous the statement was that personal coaches should have their way paid by USA Boxing, no rigging involved!

[Dennis]

It was Dennis' comment not mine. I think we should wait to see how the U.S. team does in Bejing before we make final judgement. If the medals are high than maybe all these problems are worth it and the program is working. If not then the hassle and arguments arn't worth it if theres no results. I personally think the athletes should get to train with the trainers who got them to where they are and when its time to go to International Competion the National Team coaches come in, so you dont have around 30 coaches traveling.

There have been quite a few people who have come on to the site and make comments and don't reveal who they are. There are many who openly say who they are and where they are from.
BTW - who is COladyRef?

[boxmel]

I personally think the athletes should get to train with the trainers who got them to where they are and when its time to go to International Competion the National Team coaches come in, so you dont have around 30 coaches traveling.

I think it's really important that the boxers learn to work as a team with the coaches who will be at the Olympics, especially since they have to listen during rest periods and respect what they are told. And it doesn't look like anyone figured out a way to work with both personal and team coaches. I don't think that picking the team a year ahead and having them in a residence program has worked.

BTW - who is COladyRef?

No clue - obviously someone who is hiding behind a screen name. 8)

[Quantis Graves]

Since we only know Luis' side of the story, and USA Boxing hasn't responded....I would like to make this comment.

In the past USA Boxing has allowed athletes to get away with many infractions and has never, or rarely, exerted any discipline. Top athletes have been "rewarded for bad behavior." IF there is a legitimate reason to remove Luis, or any boxer, from the Olympic team, I am glad that USA Boxing is finally taking action and making the athlete accept responsibility. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

I understand what your saying sir Please don't get me wrong....What about the coach he has bad behavior he runs the street just as well,and take money from the athletes as well.What should USA boxing do about that? ..It starts with the COACH sir..What has he been doing for the fighter to what they are doing..I'm all for the fighters this year,and I can't speak for the past...We work hard as fighters,and its crazy how this Coach can do such things like hes doing...Im saying just look into what the coach is doing.

[boxmel]

Quantis - first of all, I'm not a "sir." I'm Melanie Ley from the Southern California Assn.

Secondly - there are so many rumors going around it's really hard to believe what is the truth and what isn't. For instance, did you get kicked out of the OTC because you had a girl in your room, or not? And there are many more "for instances" coming out. Who knows what the truth is. There are two sides to every story and trying to make any sense out of this mess is enough to create a huge headache.

I think we'll just have to wait and see what happens in Beijing. If the team pulls it together and does well, then all the rumors and "whining" and problems fade away and don't mean anything. If they don't do well, then, as we all know, all sorts of fingers are going to be pointed and very publicly.

[Canada]

I think we'll just have to wait and see what happens in Beijing. If the team pulls it together and does well, then all the rumors and "whining" and problems fade away and don't mean anything. If they don't do well, then, as we all know, all sorts of fingers are going to be pointed and very publicly.

I couldn't agree more!!!

[Luis Del Valle]

I would like to start saying that Im not surprised at all with this situation. In the past few years i was part of many training camps/International competition and had the opportunity to be part of USAB.
With the knowledge i have of Luis as a fellow team mate i am pretty sure of the fact that USAB made the right decision but they are taking action to late..they should have done things like this..long time ago. Not only with Luis but with other athletes in previous camps way before the Trials.

About coaches complaining about the way coach Dan is training the team...they need to understand USAB is trying to get some medals and if they fight like pro's ( how most of our coaches trains ) they wont make it far.

My personal opinion: Anyone who doesnt like the way they train up there in colorado spring is just because they dont like to train hard enough or commit them self. on the coaches side if u dont like ur boxer to get amateurs training... Why u let him run for the olympic team???


I hope they put Luis back in the team cuz honestly Coach Dan and USAB should take action of this long time ago and they let many athletes get away with many things and now a month away from the games..i think they should just fine him.

[boxmel]

Hey Luis - I miss having you around! And good luck in your pro career.

Are you saying that USAB is dealing with a group of prima donnas, always has been, but is attempting discipline too late? Seems to me if the actions of the boxers can't be controlled, something is not right on the coach's end.

I definitely understand the coach ego and how it tends to muck up the works. But it seems to me that if the team respected the methods and the people in charge, there wouldn't be so many problems. Just my thoughts.

Melanie

[ZMOMMI]

This whole situation is crazy. There are juniors watching this. To me Yanez is a bad example. I have a son that went to Azerbeijan last year after the jo's. The training they got in Houston was EXCELLENT. Unlike Louie Byrd at the time, most of our boxers that went were not prepared for the international styles or scoring that they came up against. I wish that they would have had MORE training with the olympic coaches than what they got. Even though we love our personal coaches, we have to admit that some coaches and gyms simply cant provide these boxers with the Olympic style of training that they need. I can just imagine the other countries reading these headlines and having a good laugh. The stories that I have heard from one of our OLYMPIANS is unbelievable. Yanez is not alone in inappropriate behavior, but maybe USAB has had enough. I was so dissappointed when i heard the interview with Ali and Yanez. I truly wonder if the team can rebound from this one. I would like ALL of our 2008 OLYMPIANS to realize that there are younger boxers who are looking up to them. That they are role models. Just realize that being an USA OLYMPIAN is not just about one individual. We love our boxers and coaches and we are praying that they come together so we can go get our gold medals.

[boxmel]

I wish that they would have had MORE training with the olympic coaches than what they got. Even though we love our personal coaches, we have to admit that some coaches and gyms simply cant provide these boxers with the Olympic style of training that they need.

Just playing devil's advocate - WHO and what determines an Olympic coach? We have a national coach who's international experience began mainly when he was hired as national coach; we have two assistant coaches who were picked from the many Level 4 coaches in the U.S. Most of the team coaches, national and international, come out of the pool of personal coaches and who's to say one is better than another? The Olympic coaches weren't with the boxers from the time they started, either. There are many coaches who have spent their own time and money traveling to international events so their boxers would be better competitors, however none of them are Olympic coaches.

[locoxelbox]

Having the personal coaches attending at the Olympics is simply ridiculous. Imagine if all athletes from every sport in every country demanded that, it's just impossible. There must be one responsible person in charge. I don't know much about Dan Campbell but the technical advisor Basheer Abdullah was the headcoach at the 2004 Olympics and he was at the 2000 Olympics as well, so there's definitely some international experience in the coaching staff.

[ZMOMMI]

I wish that they would have had MORE training with the olympic coaches than what they got. Even though we love our personal coaches, we have to admit that some coaches and gyms simply cant provide these boxers with the Olympic style of training that they need.

Just playing devil's advocate - WHO and what determines an Olympic coach? We have a national coach who's international experience began mainly when he was hired as national coach; we have two assistant coaches who were picked from the many Level 4 coaches in the U.S. Most of the team coaches, national and international, come out of the pool of personal coaches and who's to say one is better than another? The Olympic coaches weren't with the boxers from the time they started, either. There are many coaches who have spent their own time and money traveling to international events so their boxers would be better competitors, however none of them are Olympic coaches.

When I said Olympic coaches, I meant the coaches that my son had to get them ready to go overseas(coach SANKARA and coach SIMPSON.) Maybe it is just that group of coaches that they had last year. My son said that he had never trained as hard as he did in Houston. They did exercises that he had never done or even knew about. They ran like crazy. If one boxer was not on weight, they all had to run. They learned to come together as a TEAM. They were taught different styles of boxing that they might experience. They were taught how a lot of countries like to get up on the computer and then run the rest of the fight. I guesss that I am saying that having your own personal coach is not ALWAYS the best when you are preparing for overseas competition. There are SOME personal coaches out here that are GREAT coaches that volunteer their time, but have little or no international experience. I am not speaking of EVERY coach. Every gym and coach is different. How are you going to have nine different coaches training ONE OLYMPIC team? You have to have a head (coach CAMPBELL.) The insults that I have read regarding coach Campbell are unacceptable and dissappointing. Some of the boxers have no respect for authority, nor do their personal trainers. There is no perfect trainer. In life, there is always room to learn something new through someone else. At this stage, these boxers already know the fundamentals, they just need to be fine tuned. I was not saying that one coach is any better than another! I said that I appreciated the training that MY kid got from outside coaches. Some boxers and trainers cant accept corrective criticism.

[boxmel]

Having the personal coaches attending at the Olympics is simply ridiculous.

I don't think anyone said that - besides it isn't allowed by the IOC who sets the numbers each delegation can bring.

I was in Houston when the JOs trained there. I think Al Simpson is one of the best coaches around and they had a great team manager in Elmo Adolph - all folks who cared for the boxers. Your son, and the others on the Cadet team, were very lucky. :)

[therealPunchDrunk]

Seems to me if the actions of the boxers can't be controlled, something is not right on the coach's end.

I definitely understand the coach ego and how it tends to muck up the works. But it seems to me that if the team respected the methods and the people in charge, there wouldn't be so many problems. Just my thoughts.

Melanie

Are you saying that if the team doesn't respect the coaches, that it's automatically the coaches fault? It's a tough situation for the coach to take these guys out of their environment (and comfort zone!) and try to teach them new things, and training methods they might not be used to. This is especially difficult if you have a bunch of personal trainers working against you (I know first hand how hard it can be to "let go" of a boxer I've made to a national team coach). Seems like that is at least part of the situation here. I'm not trying to take sides, as I have no personal interest or first hand knowledge of the situation, but having read the different links posted in here, I definitely There's more to it than the program not being good enough. The stuff Yanez' trainer was complaining about only revealed his own shortcomings as a trainer in my opinion.

[boxmel]

Are you saying that if the team doesn't respect the coaches, that it's automatically the coaches fault?

I didn't say that at all. I'm just saying that if the coach is respected, the boxers will be more inclined to work with that person. Trust me, I am fully aware of the coach dynamic - national vs. personal, etc. I also know that some coaches do better with a team than others.

and try to teach them new things, and training methods they might not be used to.

This is often the case for first-time boxers who go to camp. This is NOT the case, for example, with the Olympians who have been on many trips with various coaches other than their own personal.

[therealPunchDrunk]

This is often the case for first-time boxers who go to camp. This is NOT the case, for example, with the Olympians who have been on many trips with various coaches other than their own personal.

Well, it certainly seems like there's a big gap between the training methods of the Olympic camps, and the stuff Yanez is doing at home, by his coach's own admission in one of the articles. If you don't do stuff like lifting heavy regularly, it's gonna affect you on the rare times you do, just like running 5 miles would be harder on someone who's been sitting in a chair for two years, compared to someone who runs regularly. So, concerning this issue, the fault is definitely with Yanez' coach. :)

[boxmel]

So, concerning this issue, the fault is definitely with Yanez' coach.

And the "fault" could also be with the Olympic coaches - depends on your point of view. I'm sure Yanez's coach will tell you he trains Luis correctly - after all, he did get him to the elite level with his method of training. And the all-encompassing question, the one that always comes up, is how many national or international champions have Willie Price, Dan Campbell, and the other assitant coach, had? Consistently? It's a real Catch-22 situation and since our boxers start out with a personal coach from the beginning - not in a system like Cuba's - the prospects of this dilemma ever getting resolved are probably low to none.

[therealPunchDrunk]

So, concerning this issue, the fault is definitely with Yanez' coach.

And the "fault" could also be with the Olympic coaches - depends on your point of view. I'm sure Yanez's coach will tell you he trains Luis correctly - after all, he did get him to the elite level with his method of training. And the all-encompassing question, the one that always comes up, is how many national or international champions have Willie Price, Dan Campbell, and the other assitant coach, had? Consistently? It's a real Catch-22 situation and since our boxers start out with a personal coach from the beginning - not in a system like Cuba's - the prospects of this dilemma ever getting resolved are probably low to none.

What I was talking about, specifically, is the fact that Yanez' coach doesn't know his training theory (as evidenced in his specific complaints of the training at the camps), and therefore employs the wrong kind of training for speed. This is well documented physiology, not exclusive to boxing but all athletes. I'm assuming Yanez is a naturally gifted individual (as are most elite athletes), who's to say he couldn't have been even better with another coach? Not all coaches are good at everything, that is why you see a number of coaches for different things in other sports (physical coaches, tactical, technical coaches, dietists etc.). Yanez' coach might be a good boxing coach, yet he seems to have a thing or two to learn about the physical aspects of training.
Sometimes the best are the best in spite of what they do, not becauseof it. :)

I do agree the whole thing is a very complex problem. Having been in a similar situation as Yanez and his coach, I do understand how frustrating it can be. What I did was to tone down the grievances (and my own ego) and try to work with the other coach instead of against him, because ultimately, that would be working against my fighter.