Gyms work together to promote sport

The guys who run the two boxing gyms in Roanoke say the sport is on its way back in this area, and they are working together to make sure this comeback story doesn't reach its climax soon.

Champs Gym and Virginia Gator Boxing Club get their fighters together for sparring sessions and are traveling together to an amateur card tonight in Pennington Gap in far Southwest Virginia.

There are 16 fights scheduled tonight. Six of them involve boxers from the Roanoke Valley, including B.J. Rucker from Champs whose 132-pound bout is the main event.

"We root for each other; we want the Roanoke guys to win," said Rick Hawkins, who operates Champs Gym. "We help each other and we spar together because there's only so much room."

Also representing Champs tonight will be Nick Viar and first-timers Tyrell Davis and Josh Brown. Fighting for Gator will be La'Torie Woodbury and 9-year-old Noah Webb.

"It's exciting to all of us because of the explosion of boxing interest here," Hawkins said.

McRay aiming for Golden Gloves nationals

Walter McRay of Lynchburg who trains at Gator, fought in the Golden Gloves regionals Friday night in Waldorf, Md.

McRay, the Virginia Golden Gloves champion, is 6-foot-5 and 165 pounds and has a 10-0 record.

"Nobody can reach him," trainer Maynard Quesenberry said.

If McRay wins, he will compete at the Golden Gloves Nationals in Grand Rapids, Mich., May 5-10.

2008 Golden Gloves Championships is here

By John Streit

Correspondent

It's better to build boys than to mend men.

That's the credo around which Robert Matney said amateur boxing revolves.

The owner of Oceanfront boxing studio Seven Cities Boxing and president of the Virginia chapter of USA Boxing is doing more for regional boxers than just talking the talk.

He'll walk the walk this weekend, providing a first-class venue for about 100 athletes, as host of the 2008 Virginia Golden Gloves Championships.

The matches will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center Friday through Sunday. Doors open at 6 p.m. Friday.

"This is the premier amateur boxing event aside from something like the Olympics," Matney said. "The whole idea has always been to keep these young dudes off the streets."

Started in 1928, Golden Gloves is the United States' longest, continuously held amateur boxing series. It's seen the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Floyd Paterson, George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard come away with tournament championships.

Boxers from across Virginia and northeastern North Carolina will take part. The winners will advance to April 15's regional Gold Glove Championships in Waldorf, Md.

One of the field's headliners will be Virginia Beach's own Brandon Mitchell, a two-time champion in both the Virginia Golden Gloves and Virginia USA Boxing tournament.

Although the cost of renting space in the convention center was organizer Matney's largest monetary hurdle, he said that providing a top venue for the region's best amateur boxers was a priority.

"All year round, they compete in little recreation centers here and there, which is all good and wholesome," said Matney, who hosted the tournament at the convention center last year, too.

"But a couple times a year, they need to have a premier event where they're going to something nice. "

Several sponsorships from the Navy's regional recruiting district, Red Bull, Line-X and area businesses such as Seven Cities Scion, Chix Custom Cycles and Associated Distributors, as well as the purchase of ringside tables, eased the financial burden.

"I think the old stigma as boxing being this brutal, violent sport is wearing away more and more," Matney sai d.

John Streit, 639-4805 or

vb.beaconsports@yahoo.com

Trying to stoke a fire in Navy's boxing boilers The Virginian-Pilot © January 4, 2008 By John Streit Correspondent Robert Matney pored over a table laden with nearly century-old photographs, his eyes surveying snapshots fro m an era when the words "Navy" and "boxing" were synonymous. "I don't foresee getting crowds like this again," the retired Navy chief said. "But this is the importance. In this picture right here, here's the Secretary of the Navy at a boxing event handing out an award. You wouldn't see that right now." In many of the photos, thousands of sailors looked on as Navy boxers battled in the ring at fleet championships or a camp's weekly bout. While Matney doesn't expect a total reversal to the interest Navy boxing drew in the early 20th century, the Virginia Beach man is putting the wheels in motion to ensure this rich tradition sees a revival in the near future. The boxing coach and Virginia Association of U.S.A. Boxing's president-elect is spearheading an effort to establish bi-coastal Navy boxing squads in Hampton Roads and San Diego, the nation's two regions with the highest concentrations of sailors. With the hopes of cultivating talent in a year-round training program similar to the Army's World Class Athletic Program, Matney envisions the bi-coastal squads bringing the Navy back into armed forces boxing prominence. Although the boxing program has been in steady decline for decades, since 1994, when the All-Navy Boxing Team left Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, the Navy has regularly placed fourth at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships. The reason in Matney's eyes: The All-Navy team trains for just two months at Port Hueneme, Calif., prior to the Armed Forces championships. But programs such as the Army's pair their talent with world-class coach Basheer Abdullah for year-round training. In recent years, the Navy has also failed to field a team large enough to fill out all 11 weight classes. By placing the teams in San Diego and Hampton Roads, however, more sailors will be able to dedicate their free time to year-round training. "If I'm the captain of a ship, and I've only got 300 sailors, if I lose this guy here to go play some sports all year round, I could be losing a critical sailor," Matney said. "But (by having the bi-coastal squads), they don't have to leave their command. They can stay at their command, and on their off-time, on their liberty hours, be in this squad. So if they have duty days, if they to leave on deployment, if they got two weeks to go out to sea to do some training, the Navy comes first and off they go," he explained. Matney also believes it will open up more opportunities for Navy boxers to participate in the maximum amount of bouts in a year - a key to cultivating success. "To win, you have to be able to train hard and fight often," Matney said. "That's the paramount thing to winning." Recently, Matney's efforts have turned the corner. He hosted the East Coast Navy Boxing Trials from Nov. 8 to 10 at Little Creek, which saw four area boxers qualify for the All-Navy team. Three of those boxers were Matney trainees. "The more we start showing sailors winning, the more attention we'll get from the higher-ups," Matney said. While Matney said he has the support of Navy Sports director Donald Golden in moving forward with organizing the teams, he's run into some obstacles from Navy officials skeptical of his intentions. "I've gotten, 'Oh, you're trying to drum up business for your gym,' " said Matney, who runs Seven Cities Boxing Club at the Oceanfront. "And I'm like, 'No, no, no. If you guys give me a place on the base, we'll train these dudes on the base. I'll clean out these ships; I'll get these guys training." Matney insists that it's his lifelong dedication to the Navy that has sent him on the quest. "I still feel ownership over these sailors," Matney said. "I'm dedicated to these guys, and I'm dedicated to getting Navy boxing back to where it belongs. "That's part of being a chief. And when you're a chief; you worry about your troops." Those in the Navy with boxing interest and/or experience can call Robert Matney at 962-5694 or 439-6357. John Streit, 639-4805 or vb.beaconsports@yahoo.com

All Navy Boxing Trials Punch Their Way into Hampton Roads By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW/SW) Flor Valerio, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Atlantic VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The All Navy Boxing Team held trials Nov. 17-18 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek for athletes with prior or current boxing experience. Based in California, the team hopes to train qualified Navy boxers from the East Coast to represent the Navy at the Armed Forces Championship scheduled for February 2008. "We are at a rebuilding phase for the team and this initiative is to let the fleet know that we are actively looking for Navy boxers," said George Sylva, the All Navy Boxing Team head coach. "The Navy Boxing Team allows Sailors to come and try out for the boxing camp, which starts Dec. 1 in California." About 15 Sailors came out to test their skills and talent in boxing. Electrician's Mate 2nd Class (SW) Jessie Owens from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), who has been training for three years, was the only female Sailor who came to try out. "Navy boxing gives me an opportunity to represent the Navy and my ship in competitions against the other services, as well as represent female boxers," said Owens who sparred with a male counterpart during the try outs. Throughout Navy history, Navy boxing has produced champions from both officers and enlisted personnel. "Fleet championships were held aboard battleships and the Navy has had a lot of champions that tried to compete among other Armed Forces," said Robert Matney, East Coast Boxing squad coach. "The rebuilding effort is to bring back a great history of Navy boxing, and it is a great recruiting tool for the Navy." The athletes chosen for the team will attend the training camp at Port Hueneme, Calif., for eight weeks to prepare for the Armed Forces Championships. Those who prevail at the championships will represent the United States in the World Armed Forces Championships. For more news from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, visit navcms.news.navy.mil/local/nablc/.

Whatever happened to ... Beach boxer with the Olympic dream? Posted to: Whatever Happened to ...© November 5, 2007 Pete Cobraiti watches his compet ition during an exhibition fight in Norfolk in 2003. He still harbors his Olympic dream, despite missing the cut for the 2004 team. (CHRIS TYREE file photo | THE VIRGINIAN PILOT) By Tony Germanotta The Virginian-Pilot VIRGINIA BEACH The Cobra missed his chance to make the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team by just 2 pounds. That's how much Pete Cobraiti had to lose just before a qualifying fight to hit his weight class. He jumped rope for two hours, sweated off the 32 ounces, then entered the ring. Already a long shot at age 29, he said he just didn't have the endurance in the later rounds. Now the former Beach resident is training hard and hoping for a spot on the 2008 Olympic team. He's determined to win the New York and Virginia Golden Gloves tournaments and a chance again to compete at the Olympic trials. The Cobra doesn't give up easily. It's a trait developed the hardest way. When he was 5, Cobraiti's mother was murdered. He was taken in by a foster family, who helped him channel his anger through martial arts training. Cobraiti would eventually join the Navy in hopes of getting on the Little Creek boxing team. He was stationed on an aircraft carrier. So he entered a tournament against orders and got himself discharged in 2001. He was living in Virginia Beach, life guarding at a pool, when trainer Ron Hagar rescued his boxing dreams. Cobraiti won the Virginia Golden Gloves at 132 pounds in 2003 and a chance to fight in a national competition in Ohio that could have earned him a spot on the Olympic Team trials. But he tried to compete in the 125-pound class, "which I shouldn't have done," he now admits. Cobraiti weighed in that day at 127, and the two extra pounds were too much for him to overcome, he said. The rope jumping left him drained. "I was done," he said. "I had the skills, I had the strength, but it just wasn't my day." Co braiti now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and studies at Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan to be a physician assistant. He trains at boxing's legendary Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, and helps his foster brother Paul Mormando at his martial arts school there. Cobraiti also teaches fitness classes for kids. Every Friday, Co braiti climbs into a car and drives to Virginia Beach to continue training with Roger Belch at the Dog Pound Boxing gym. Next month, The Cobra will try to win the New York Golden Gloves contest and then the Virginia Golden Gloves, but at 141 pounds. He's stopped entering martial arts contests in the interim to concentrate on his Olympics dream. "This is my last shot," he said. The Olympics have a 34-year-old age limit in boxing. He knows it will be a tough race, but don't look for him to give up now. "If I play the cards right, I have a shot," he said on the phone before heading off to teach a fitness class, " But it's going to be harder this time." Tony Germanotta, (757) 222-5113, tony.germanotta@pilotonline.com

Campbell facing an uphill fight with USA Boxing

By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 18, 2007

If only fixing everything else that ails amateur boxing was as easy. Americans have won just three gold medals in the past four Olympic Games.

A new Olympic team was selected at the trials in Houston last month. Campbell will coach it, and once again, hopes are high. The team members reported here this week and will live at the Olympic Training Center through the Games in Beijing next August.

The residential program was Campbell's idea, one that has met with resistance from the coaches of some fighters. Those coaches are reluctant to turn over control of the boxers many have nurtured since the fighters were in grade school.

Gary Russell, whose son Gary Jr. is the team's 119-pounder, said uprooting boxers from their long-time trainers is a "recipe for disaster.

"We were actually told if kids don't comply, they'll be put off the team," Russell said. "It's like a pistol to the head."

Campbell doesn't dispute that. But he didn't come to Colorado in 2005 after running Norfolk's boxing program for a decade, to do things the way they had always been done.

So Campbell, USA Boxing's first full-time director of coaching, is shaking things up in his quiet but firm manner.

"There's a lot we have to do if we want to put the United States back in its rightful place," he said.

Campbell sat in his office on the fourth floor of a drab tan brick building, a leftover from the facility's days as an air force base. Although USA Boxing is located at the Olympic complex, it wasn't really a part of it, Campbell said. One of his first moves when getting the job two years ago was to reach out to the USOC, to make its experts in nutrition, conditioning and sports science part of boxing's team.

Campbell is 64 but looks at least a decade younger. A former parole and probation officer, his discipline methods may be old-school, but his training ideas are progressive. His eyes light up when he talks about the high-tech toys available to him at the OTC: a computerized heavy bag that measures the efficiency and effectiveness of punches, a computer program that can simulate matches between fighters from the U.S. and other countries and a video system that will allow him to watch boxers training throughout the complex - from his office.

"We wanted to bridge the gap between boxing and sports science and bring what we want to do into this century," he said. "And stop thinking that some road work and a heavy bag is going to do it."

To that end, the conditioning of the Olympic team is being farmed out to the USOC. Individual boxing coaches have to put their egos aside and stop pretending they can condition their athletes to the Olympic caliber. They can't, Campbell said.

What Campbell and his staff can do is immerse their fighters in the international style, which emphasizes scoring blows over power shots. That's part of the reason for the residential program, he said.

In the past, when boxers were allowed to return home, they'd pick up old habits that Olympic coaches would have to drill out of them.

Boxers returning home were also subject to outside influences, including the potentially distracting lure of the pro game. Some were coached by trainers also involved in the pros, an association Campbell wants to avoid.

They were also prone to developing the "prima donna" attitudes that plagued the past few Olympic teams, Campbell said.

It's Campbell's hope that living together at the training center will build a team-first attitude among the fighters. Their tightly scheduled days will include classes in nutrition, psychology, training in how to deal with the media and how to carry themselves after a win.

Campbell said he has already noticed a difference in boxers who have attended camps in the past two years.

"The stigma we had here has disappeared," he said. "People don't see us as the negative sport here on the complex. Our guys, they dress correctly, they don't sag, they speak correctly. We've changed more than just how we box."

How the team boxes in Beijing, of course, is how it and Campbell will ultimately be judged. Skeptics like Russell, who said he respects Campbell but not his methods, will be waiting to pounce if things don't go well.

"They're experimenting," Russell said. "My son hasn't been experimenting. He's been training. He's been putting work in.

"I don't think it's fair, but my son is going to work with it because he wants to be an Olympian. He wants to represent the U.S."

Jim Millman, executive director of USA Boxing, said he's firmly behind Campbell and thinks his methods will position the United States well - in Beijing and beyond. Other coaches with international experience, like Gloria Peek, also think he's on the right track.

"It's an ego thing," said Peek, who replaced Campbell in Norfolk when he left. "These grassroots coaches think they're losing their fighters, but they're not. A lot of them don't know a thing about international boxing.

"This is the only way we're going to be able to compete."

Campbell knows the hopes of the sport are largely riding on him. The United States won two gold medals - along with a silver and bronze - at this year's Pan Am Games, a slight improvement from 2003 (a gold, two silver and a bronze).

Campbell, who has already had to have pages added to his U.S. passport, has an ambitious schedule lined up for the team prior to Beijing, with dual meets against Australia, England, Romania and Mexico scheduled for the next four months - in addition to the World Championships in Chicago and an "Olympic test" dual meet in China.

Needless to say, he's not in Colorado Springs much.

For a while after taking the job, he tried splitting time between apartments in Colorado and Hampton. He eventually relocated. He is signed with USA Boxing through the Olympics and purposely didn't ask for a longer contract.

"My feeling is, the proof is in the pudding," he said. "If I demand that you give me a contract and then it doesn't work out, then I've actually set boxing back."

That's a step the sport can't afford to take.

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com

State pride at stake as amateur boxers do battle vs. Maryland © June 8, 2007

By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot