The 2015 AAIB Scholars Part 2

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing is proud of its commitment to women’s boxing. We continue our introduction to the 2015 AAIB #BoxingScholars with three more stories from three different states of a new generation redefining the sweet science. For each of these young women, boxing was a surprise, then an obsession, and finally the road to an education:

Emily Atwood attended the USA Olympic Trials in Mobile, Alabama in 2010 as a spectator, and on the way home, asked her father, “Dad, do they have women’s boxing?” That question led to her winning the 2015 National Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship and competing in the 2015 Olympic Qualifiers in Baltimore. Emily wants a spot on the USA National Team. She is an “A” student, graduated from Fairhope High School with honors, and plans to enroll at The University of Mobile in the spring of 2016. Emily also hopes to major in psychology, study primate behavior, and work with gorillas. She loves singing, yoga, long boarding, scuba diving, and serving in her church.

Alex Love grew up on a small farm in Monroe, Washington. Though 5’1” tall, Alex played basketball throughout high school and at Skagit Valley University, where she earned her Associates Degree. She thought boxing was just for conditioning until it was approved as a Women’s Olympic Sport in 2011. Today, Alex is on the national team and a two-time USA Boxing National Champion. Though she fell short in the Olympic Trials, Alex made the World Team in 2012 and plans to do the same for Rio. She received a gold medal at the 2012 Continentals, became an intelligence analyst for the army in 2013, and pursues her psychology degree at American Military University.

Kiley Wolfe was 17-years-old when she walked into Indiana’s Evansville Boxing Club in 2013. The first woman to train there, Kiley met a lot of resistance while getting in the necessary shape to box. Two years later, she became the first female boxer to compete in the Indiana State Golden Gloves. Kiley also lacked the financial support to attend college or commute to the gym. She worked part time to enroll at Ivy Tech Community College to complete her core credits. Kiley’s AAIB Scholarship allowed her to continue training and plan a transfer to the criminal justice program at the University of Southern Indiana. Today, Kiley says, “The Evansville Boxing Team and coaches are my family.”

Support the AAIB #BoxingScholars today.

The 2015 AAIB Scholars Part 1

The number one reason to give to the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing is our student boxers. Each of their stories is a unique lesson in perseverance and resourcefulness long before they find our application. When we announced this year’s 14 scholarship winners, we promised a better look beyond the names. Here are the first three new biographies on our #BoxingScholars page:

Jacque Ines started her boxing career in 2013 when she tried out for the University of Washington Boxing Team. She is a junior at the university, studying Geographic Information Systems and Diversity. In the past two years, she won the 2014 National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) National Championship, the 2015 NCBA Regional Championship, and 2015 Tacoma Golden Gloves. Jacque is a two-time All-American NCBA boxer and now team captain at UW. She wants to expand the university’s five-year-old program and encourage others it is never too late to get in the ring. 

Rosino LeGan started boxing at 13-years-old. His parents would only approve if he kept his grades above a “B.” He admits he only did well in high school to stay in the ring. When Rosino was accepted to Santa Clara University, where he is now a Communications major, he began to understand the importance of an education. “Santa Clara made me a more well-rounded person in addition to giving me the skills for a career once I reach my boxing goals.” Rosino hopes to qualify in the Olympic Trials for 2016 and beyond. “Boxing gave me a discipline and a desire to achieve that I now use in all aspects of my life. 

Raul Muniz grew up in Pennsylvania, then moved to Florida his freshman year of high school, where he fell in love with boxing. “Boxing taught me how to look defeat in its eyes and come back even stronger.” Raul is training for his fourth United States Intercollegiate Boxing Championship. A student at Palm Beach State College, Raul plans to transfer to a four-year university and obtain a law degree with a concentration in Sports and Entertainment Law. Throughout his career in the ring, Raul noticed his fellow fighters were often exploited, lacking legal and business expertise. His ultimate goal is to represent and protect the best interests of athletes, particularly boxers.

Support the AAIB #BoxingScholars today.

The AAIB Flickr Gallery

Nothing expresses both the triumph and joy of an AAIB Celebrity Golf Invitational quite like the pictures. This year was one of the most beautiful and comfortable Columbus Day weekends at Galloway we could recall and everyone came out for our scholars. We had our largest attendance of supporters and celebrity boxers and sports figures.

Our photographer, Sonya Szotack, has captured every tournament since they began, as well as some of the last AAIB Boxeramas– the beloved boxer and boxing tribute banquets that preceded the golf tournaments. You can see all of her work, including her coverage of this past weekend’s event and awards dinner, on our new Flickr page.

We also started posting photos from the AAIB and Stephen B. Acunto’s history in the new gallery. While Sonya and the AAIB retain the rights to these images, everything is available for use by the press.

The First Edition Is Out!

The first edition of our new newsletter is out. Is it in your mailbox? If not, click over to the AAIB Connect page and sign up. Easily readable on any device, the monthly newsletter will deliver the latest information on AAIB scholars and initiatives and the world of boxing. It is brought to you by MailChimp.

This premiere issue is devoted to the 2015 Fundraising Campaign for AAIB Scholars. We are exactly one month away from our campaign deadline on November 15th. Get your copy today and discover the many ways you can help us reach our goal. Do it to support #BoxingScholars. Do it to #ImproveBoxing!

The 2015 AAIB Celebrity Golf Invitational

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing ‘s Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational is this weekend, October 11th and 12th, at the Tropicana Atlantic City and Galloway National Golf Club. Mark Breland, Gerry Cooney, Terry Norris, Renaldo Snipes, Pinklon Thomas, and Tim Witherspoon are just a few of the boxing champions planning to attend.

The event is a fundraiser for the AAIB Scholarship Fund for amateur boxers. We have so many scholarship winners from different states this year, we cannot present the award checks in person as we have in the past. Instead, we will use the moment to kick off the final month of our first online crowdfunding campaign for AAIB Scholars coinciding on Indiegogo.com.

Registration is still open. The forecast predicts another beautiful autumn holiday weekend. There is a private celebrity cocktail party hosted by the Tropicana on Sunday night, and a 10AM brunch before the tournament on Columbus Day. See photos from past Golf Invitationals on our Flickr page and download this year's brochure.

It is an unforgettable event for a great cause. You can also email us for more information. Hope to see you on the green.

The AAIB Channel on YouTube

October is family history month, when we reflect on ancestors, ghosts, and the past. American Association for the Improvement of Boxing founder Stephen B. Acunto accumulated quite the boxing archive in his decades at the top of the sport. A filmmaker from the earliest days of the AAIB, many of Steve’s boxing artifacts consist of tape and celluloid. Throughout our two-month campaign and celebration of the AAIB and Steve’s birthday, we will continue to add footage, clips, and complete documentaries to our new AAIB YouTube Channel.

First up is the documentary "Boxing: More Than A Sport" on the history of boxing and the AAIB, written and narrated by former ABC Sports' producer Peter Heller.

The AAIB Scholarships Indiegogo Campaign

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing has teamed up with Indiegogo.com, the world’s largest global crowdfunding platform, to promote its 2015 Fundraising Campaign for AAIB Scholars. Crowdfunding is fundraising that collects donations from large crowds of individuals gathered through the Internet, mobile computers, and social media. Indiegogo is the largest international site that works with nonprofits like the AAIB.

You can visit or share the link: http://igg.me/at/aaiboxing.

The two-month online campaign started last night at midnight, will pick up speed around the halfway mark during the 2015 AAIB Golf Invitational over Columbus Day weekend, and will end on our founder Stephen B. Acunto’s 99th birthday on November 15th. Donation perks, including exclusive signed items and boxing memorabilia from Steve’s extensive archive, will change throughout. The page also features our new AAIB #BoxingChance video.

Get over to the site, pick up a perk for yourself, and then spread the word!

The AAIB #BoxingChance Video

Lights! Camera! Boxing! The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing’s new online presence is just the start of its 2015 Fundraising Campaign for AAIB Scholars. We also produced a video around the theme of this year’s campaign, “The Boxing Chance.” If a fighting chance is a possibility of success through struggle, a boxing chance is the likelihood of success through strategy.

By concentrating its energy on scholarships, the AAIB has reaffirmed its mission to improve the sport of boxing at the source of boxing’s future – young contenders. In this new video, filmed on location at Willis Avenue Gym in the South Bronx, young contenders and AAIB Scholars Walter Sarnoi and Susan Lizzette Jugo reflect on their unique stories and the boxing chances they were given, in their own words.

The #BoxingChance video is also available for viewing on the campaign's new Indiegogo crowdfunding site and here on the home page of aaib.org.

A New Era For The AAIB

As the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing approaches a half-century of service to the sport of boxing, we invite you to follow, explore, and interact with our latest steps into the 21st century. In an effort to reach and help more boxers with more scholarships and support, the AAIB proudly announces our new website, and our new Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

See you in the Twittersphere!

The 2015 AAIB Scholars

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing is pleased to announce the 2015 AAIB Scholarship winners. They are: Aadam Ali, Emily Atwood, Luis Feliciano, Pierce Hessinger, Jacqueline Ines, Susan Lizzette Jugo, Rosino LeGan, Alexandra Love, Ana Marquez, Raul Muniz, Walter Sarnoi, Andrew Tomlin, Brandon Wellman, and Kiley Wolfe. We will have more information on each of these deserving students in the weeks ahead.

The AAIB more than doubled the number of its scholarships from 6 in 2014 to 14 in 2015. We received applications from 24 different states this past year. In 2016, we hope to increase the number of applicants and winners again with our new online awareness and crowdfunding campaigns. Watch this blog for more information and sign up for our newsletter. The AAIB will accept 2016 scholarship applications starting February 1st. Congratulations to all of the scholarship winners - you represent the sport of boxing at its best!

2015 AAIB Applications Due Next Saturday

The 2015 AAIB Scholarship application deadline is approaching quickly. Applications and all additional materials, including school transcripts, parental tax records, and signed permission slips must be either posted, faxed, or emailed by midnight, Saturday, August 1st. Remember, August 1st is a Saturday this year, so post offices close early. Good luck everyone!

Stephen B. Acunto's "Magical Life"

As we approach our founder’s 99th birthday, we could not be prouder of this piece on Steve’s “magical life” written by Jack Hirsh for Boxing News. From his training days, to memories of Max Schmeling, Larry Holmes, and Roy Jones, this is just like sitting with Steve and hearing his great stories in person.

“Acunto beams with pride as we view the video of him and Ali gently going through the motions. Ali was in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. He looks sluggish, but is a willing pupil as professor Acunto explains the finer points of the sweet science.

“‘Ali still calls me the teacher,’ Acunto laughs.”

No doubt he does. Thank you, Jack, and thank you for the memories , Steve!

The 2014 AAIB Golf Invitational

The 2014 AAIB Celebrity Golf Invitational was a tremendous success and a lot of fun. The AAIB Scholarship fundraising event was held on October 13th and 14th at Galloway National Golf Club and Tropicana Atlantic City. We will post more photos and details soon!

2014 AAIB Scholar Applications Due Next Week

Just a reminder that all 2014 AAIB Scholarship applications, transcripts, tax forms, and additional materials must be either postmarked, emailed, or faxed by midnight on Friday, August 1st. Thank you and good luck to all the applicants!

AAIB Scholar Greely Wins Sartonk Essay Contest

Three time and current AAIB Scholar Barbara Greely took home First Place in Sartonk Designs' second annual Ali-King Award for Writing in Boxing with her autobiographical essay. The award ceremony took place in Gleason's Gym, a sponsor of the award. There is a full album of photographs from the event on Facebook.

"The winners were selected based on their submitted essays, by a panel of four distinguished judges. Essay topics ranged from the autobiographical to comparative analyses of Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr., after whom the contest is named."

Barbara attends Monmouth University, where she majors in Accounting and Criminal Justice toward a career at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.