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 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 #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!

Randy Neumann Elected IBF Treasurer

Fightnews.com, in its second day coverage of the 32nd annual International Boxing Federation (IBF/USBA) Convention, is reporting that our own Randy Neumann has been elected to the IBF Board as Treasurer:

"As mentioned in the day one report, three board seats were up for re-election. That vote was held and decided today at 4:30 p.m. Incumbents David McCullough (treasurer) and Al Meier were re-elected, while Paul Artisst was unseated by Randy Neumann, in a close vote."

Congratulations Randy!

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 Fight For Your Future Initiative

AAIB Board Member and NYAC Chairwoman Melvina Lathan has teamed up with CUNY and the Daily News Charities to provide enrollment and financial assistance to amateur and professional boxers in the city.

“‘The point of this program is to give fighters other options and to take all of those great attributes they have [in the ring] to have successful careers in other areas and not feel locked in,’ said Alan Dobrin, the COO of CUNY.”

Congratulations Melvina on creating another great resource for boxers.

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!

“In Boxing, Doing Decent Things”

Michael Woods of The Sweet Science has written a charming reflection on our own Melvina Lathan and the “decent things” of the boxing world. Michael even mentions the AAIB Celebrity Golf Invitational coming up this Columbus Day Weekend:

“…let's consider a fuller picture on Lathan, who two weeks ago was visiting about 30 kids at the Willis Ave gym in the South Bronx, giving out goody bags, with fresh fruit and water and the like, from out of her own pocket. She talked to the kids about healthy nutrition, about staying in school, about being decent souls, about stuff that so many of us take for granted, and can't conceive of any one meeting pointers on, because we come from a place of plenty.”

"The hardest working person in all of boxing."

Ken Hissner, over at Doghouse Boxing News, just posted a great profile and interview of Henry Hascup, AAIB Board member and boxing encyclopedia. Henry talks about the International Boxing Hall of Fame, small shows, his famous eulogies, and why he is the “Uncrowned King” of boxing information:

"I spent many years going through micro-films of several newspapers, writing down every fight I could find."