USA Boxing Upheaval - Here We Go Again

[Dennis]

Jim Millman left USA Boxing as of June 23, 2009. I also found out several women in the membership department were laid off as well. I think there are maybe a dozen people left. It is hard to keep track without actually being in CS.

[boxmel]

At one point, there were 21 people in COS. The Executive Assistant even had a Junior Assistant! No wonder we don't have any money. Mike Martino has taken over as the interim CEO (he was the NCBA's president for years and USAB Treasurer some years ago). Still no word on finalization of the National Coach - it's between the Air Force Academy's Ed Weichers and Joe Zanders (I hear a decision will be made by August). There won't be any contract and the job is totally dependent on performance and the person can be removed from that position with a 30 day notice - speaking of job security - especially after pulling up stakes and moving to COS!

[boxfan08]

Actually I think there are only 5-6 people left, a few in membership and finance and the exec asst., and then Mike Martino coming in and out as the interim ED

[skept]

the scary thing is there is more people in usab who needs to go. a lot of kids are turning pro and the people who needs to be fired remain..... and they are laughing. they look at the list of boxers entering the tournament. they know who to rob. and when. i thought the boxers were top priority in usab. but its the officials who are top priority. they are running amateurs out of usab. that heavy set old lady from wisconsin, who is an official, is one. she runs around trying to protect her boxer from her lbc and when he lost in the usa nationals she was sick. showed her displeasure with her official uniform on. some boxers, and their coaches have no chance. then, we blame dan campell for our olympic failures. he didnt make that team. the officials did. but if campell was down with that crew, then he HAD TO GO!!! then you have the franklins. more on them REAL SOON. also, i heard a rumor. did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother? just a question. wade was mos def a mainstay in usab. where is he now? some people not only blackball kids but they go after their lives and no one can do nothing but smile, but the boxers are top priority? our kids wont medal up while this continues. but the officials will get paid. was devin vargas is an olympian because his parents are officials? he represented usa by getting his a** kicked by kevin johnson. couldnt be saved in the mens game. the top usab people should be on top of whats going on here. and investigate and help solve some the real problems here and then we will medal up in the name of truth, justice, and the AMERICAN way. remember, the boxers are top priority. its in the rule book.

[boxmel]

but its the officials who are top priority. they are running amateurs out of usab. and they are laughing. they look at the list of boxers entering the tournament. they know who to rob. and when.

So, you're saying there is a conspiracy amongst all officials to "rob" certain boxers? Do they get together in secret conclaves at tournaments and tell each other who is to win and who isn't? Do they have lists that they refer to when they get their assignments 1/2 hour prior to each session and see who they are judging or refereeing?

also, i heard a rumor. did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother? just a question. wade was mos def a mainstay in usab.

Who is Wade Bolton and his brother? And why would a coach blackball them? Just curious.

some people not only blackball kids but they go after their lives and no one can do nothing but smile,

They actually commit murder? Interesting.

but the officials will get paid.
Wow! You mean I'm the only official not getting paid? I'm really crazy to volunteer when I could be making money.

was devin vargas is an olympian because his parents are officials?

So you think just because his coach/father Ray and mother Robin were officials that every official who worked every one of Devin's bouts made sure he won? I've never seen Ray officiate at the national level and I think Robin timekept at one or two.

the top usab people should be on top of whats going on here.

The same people who are currently ruining USA Boxing?

and investigate and help solve some the real problems here

And how and what you suggest "they" investigate?

[skept]

what i meant is they go after their way of living. boxing is a way of living. many kids went back to the streets they escaped. i know the peterkins. i know the father fought hard for his boys. i remember travis sitting in the gym doing his homework and couldnt box until his hwk was complete. i mean to disrespect no one, but the boxers are top priority. coaches and officials with vendettas are not ( yes they are ).

[Travis Peterkin]

Skept, I realize you know me. A lot of other people realize it too. Please, watch what you say because I have enough problems. You make some good points, but don't take it too personal..... Thank you, Travis Peterkin's Dad.

[boxmel]

coaches and officials with vendettas are not ( yes they are ).

Believe what you want, but this kind of attitude leads to bad sportsmanship from coaches and boxers who like to complain. Dwelling on negativity can only make things worse.

[Travis Peterkin]

coaches and officials with vendettas are not ( yes they are ).

Believe what you want, but this kind of attitude leads to bad sportsmanship from coaches and boxers who like to complain. Dwelling on negativity can only make things worse.

Thank you. I dont know who Skept is, and Im not mad at him, but complaining and using other people's names wont make things better. Have faith, trust in the higher power. Things will get better. A lot of people been involved in shady decisions, but USAB didnt choose us, we chose USAB. THINGS WILL GET BETTER. Be patient. Keep plugging. Anyone knows the rapper Maino? His song and video, All The Above is on YOUTUBE. Check it out. Very Inspirational. Just believe in yourself.

[JMac]

the scary thing is there is more people in usab who needs to go. a lot of kids are turning pro and the people who needs to be fired remain..... and they are laughing. they look at the list of boxers entering the tournament. they know who to rob. and when. i thought the boxers were top priority in usab. but its the officials who are top priority. they are running amateurs out of usab. that heavy set old lady from wisconsin, who is an official, is one. she runs around trying to protect her boxer from her lbc and when he lost in the usa nationals she was sick. showed her displeasure with her official uniform on. some boxers, and their coaches have no chance. then, we blame dan campell for our olympic failures. he didnt make that team. the officials did. but if campell was down with that crew, then he HAD TO GO!!! then you have the franklins. more on them REAL SOON. also, i heard a rumor. did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother? just a question. wade was mos def a mainstay in usab. where is he now? some people not only blackball kids but they go after their lives and no one can do nothing but smile, but the boxers are top priority? our kids wont medal up while this continues. but the officials will get paid. was devin vargas is an olympian because his parents are officials? he represented usa by getting his a** kicked by kevin johnson. couldnt be saved in the mens game. the top usab people should be on top of whats going on here. and investigate and help solve some the real problems here and then we will medal up in the name of truth, justice, and the AMERICAN way. remember, the boxers are top priority. its in the rule book.

skept,
It's unfortunate that some boxers and coaches have these feelings that referees and judges conspire to pick who they want to win. As an AIBA official who has worked many nationals and even Olympic trials and more, I can honestly say that no one has ever asked me to help a boxer win. There has never been a situation where as officials, we have sat down and said to each other, USAB wants this guy or that guy to win.
I am also a coach on the collegiate level and have coached my team for 23 years. I know the emotions that coaches feel for their boxers and how much we want them to win. I get mad as well as any coach if I think my boxer did not get a decision I felt he deserved but I never think the officials got together and decided to go for the other boxer. Any coach that has been in boxing for a length of time knows that we will somtimes win close decisions and we will lose close decisions. It is the nature of the sport. The officials are volunteers. Some are good and some are not as good as others. Again, it is the nature of the sport. Sometimes life isn't always fair and sometimes when you lose, you actually lost despite what your coach or friends think or tell you.

[JMac]

skept,
Another thing, Al Simpson has no power to blackball any boxer. I don't know anything about the boxer you mentioned but I can tell you nobody blackballs any boxer. A boxer could screw things for themself if on a trip they did something wrong like steal from their teammates or shoplift in town or do some other dumb thing. A coach can't say they don't want a boxer to compete unless there is a real reason other than they don't like them.

[JayWater]

whatever as long as im fighting

[DCAmateurBoxing]

did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother?

I don't know where you got that one from, but I know that Wade left boxing on his own and as is too often the case has chosen the streets over boxing. He was a great boxer and definitely would have been making waves at these nationals had he stayed in the gym. Happens too often, but nothing to do with Simpson IMO.

[Travis Peterkin]

Not cool calling people out, but people say what they feel. Sometimes to a fault. Let him know BigZim.

[skept]

wow.

[skept]

did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother?

I don't know where you got that one from, but I know that Wade left boxing on his own and as is too often the case has chosen the streets over boxing. He was a great boxer and definitely would have been making waves at these nationals had he stayed in the gym. Happens too often, but nothing to do with Simpson IMO.

thanks for the info and this is not a slight.

[skept]

skept,
Another thing, Al Simpson has no power to blackball any boxer. I don't know anything about the boxer you mentioned but I can tell you nobody blackballs any boxer. A boxer could screw things for themself if on a trip they did something wrong like steal from their teammates or shoplift in town or do some other dumb thing. A coach can't say they don't want a boxer to compete unless there is a real reason other than they don't like them.

this is more accurate. i have no problem with this statement as it gives everyone more insight on this subject. raul lopez was suspended for shoplifting.

[Dennis]

Sometimes to respect the privacy of these young men, things that happen in camp don't get reported. I know of things that happened at national tournaments and I would not post certain info for everyone in the world to see.

[DoeBoy]

yeah your right dennis, people should do wat you said but for some reason they always be in the blogs talkin trash about boxers who train hard everyday. i think half the people who do talk trash dont even box, they dont train so they have all the time in the world to talk

[skept]

skept,
Another thing, Al Simpson has no power to blackball any boxer. I ct. raul lopez was suspended for shoplifting.

this subject was already bought up. why hide? usa boxing and government rules applies to everyone. you shoplift, you get caught, you get arrested. simple as that.

[skept]

did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother?

I don't know where you got that one from, but I know that Wade left boxing on his own and as is too often the case has chosen the streets over boxing. He was a great boxer and definitely would have been making waves at these nationals had he stayed in the gym. Happens too often, but nothing to do with Simpson IMO.

its good to see you gave wade bolton his respect. i know certain amateurs who got DQ"d for spitting out their mouthpiece. got chased to the pros. knock cats out, but when its their turn to get ko'd they spit out the mouthpiece. another national champ turn pro too young and when the competition heats up they will spit out the mouthpiece again.

[Travis Peterkin]

did al simpson blackball wade bolton and his brother?

I don't know where you got that one from, but I know that Wade left boxing on his own and as is too often the case has chosen the streets over boxing. He was a great boxer and definitely would have been making waves at these nationals had he stayed in the gym. Happens too often, but nothing to do with Simpson IMO.

True story, I respect the word of DC Boxing. When their guy lost in the Olympic Trials, they explained on YouTube why he got DQ'D and never complained. And it was a very winnable fight for him. I also know Barry Hunter is a pioneer in this game. So if someone said my son lost a close one, maybe he did. Go back to the gym, work on it. Thats the luxury of being in the amateurs.

[region 8]

Travis Peterkins dad, what national tournaments did your son win.

[Travis Peterkin]

Travis Peterkins dad, what national tournaments did your son win.

My son won the ringside twice, beginning in 2003. He also won the Ringside worlds. He won the jr. golden gloves in 2006. We beat Steve Geffrard at the Ringside Augusta Summer Classic in 2005, then lost a disputed decision to him at the 2006 Silver Gloves. The pres. of his lbc ran the tournament. 2 GREAT BOUTS!!! I got mad love for Steve, no way I disrespect him. NEVER. We lost 6-3 to Shawn Estrada's brother Patrick at the 2005 PAL's, but his coach made him sit in the corner after the bout. Thats because we really won. Pat had over 100 bouts and we had about 30-35 bouts. We won 3 bouts in the Junior Golden Gloves that should be on his amateur boxrec, but its not. We also won the 2004 Mayors Cup. Among others. The 2009 NGG in Utah, we fought Arias. the ref got involved. We lost because of it. We was winning the USA nationals with 45 seconds left. Lost 19-15. Ref decided that also with the points. So we really didnt have a chance to win certain tournaments. We got a fair shot in DC and we won the Golden Gloves there, and Im forever grateful to those guys. To stand with champs like Gary Allen Russell, Kevin Rivers, Thomas Williams, Marcus Gaddis, and Tony McGruder Alex guerrero ect, that is a great feeling. What you want me to say, we was robbed? I wont, but you asked the question, so you should know. But I will tell you one thing. You fight Travis, you got a fight on your hands. I ask these people "why the hell would you stop me, why the hell would you try, I go hard forever, that's just how Im desinged, that's just how I was built". Region 8, what keep us going is we been through the pain, the sorrow, the struggle, but its nothing but love. Trav is a soilder, a rider, a survivor, and all the above. I love USA Boxing, and we go no where before our time. We just need that fair shot. And we will get it. Gotta wait our time. Mad love to Tracy Thorpe , Maxell Taylor, and Dave Sewell of Maryland. THEY HELPED US, THANK GOD!!! Special thanks to DC personel Bobby McGruder for respecting us, Machine Matney of Va, Hal Chernof, Ron Simms, Floyd Favors and also Brent Bovell for schooling us, the region 2 coaches in Denver, and Jimmy Glenn of N.Y., who bascially raised me and my son in this game. Thank You.

[Dennis]

So Travis is only 18 or so? For some reason, I got the impression from other posts that he had been around the open class for years. If a boxer has been in the open class for only 2 or so years and he is only a teenager, then there is plenty of time to get better and start winning the tournaments. He will get more mature, physically and mentally. He will keep gaining that experience and he will most likely continue to improve.