Youth boxing not on the ropes, but growth stunted

MapQuest says it's roughly 91/2 miles from the Silver Nugget to the MGM Grand. Depending on traffic, it's a trip that takes approximately 14 minutes.

But for a kid living in Las Vegas and trying to make it big in boxing, that trip seems light years away. It's a journey many pursue and few complete: fighting in a megabout on the Strip with a multimillion-dollar payday, the kind of money that can set up a young man for life.

There are about 1,000 amateur boxers registered in Nevada. Some do it for glory. Some are trying to change their lives after a scrape with the law. Others do it to learn to defend themselves. Some are just trying to get in shape.

Locally, there are 11 gyms, and business is brisk. But it could be better if the gyms worked together to promote the sport, said Gil Martinez, who runs Elite Boxing and works with about 60 kids as young as 7 at his gym on Dean Martin Drive.

"I think there are a lot of kids who want to get into boxing, but the lines of communication aren't open. We're not doing a good job of getting the word out," Martinez said. "We're in the mecca of boxing. We need to step up our efforts."

'I LIKE THE ADRENALINE RUSH'

In front of several hundred enthusiastic fans, the state's best fighters were on display last weekend in the Nevada Golden Gloves tournament at the Silver Nugget's Events Center. Dawn Barry was encouraged by the energy in the room. She and husband Pat run Barry's Boxing Gym on South Highland Avenue and hold the Golden Gloves franchise in Nevada and three other states.

"Who said boxing is dead?" she said. "There's always going to be a kid who wants to learn how to box, and as long as those kids are out there, there'll always be a place for them to train."

Bronson Stultz is one of them, except he isn't a kid anymore. He's 22, recently laid off from the U.S. Postal Service, and wants to see how far he can go as a fighter.

"I like the adrenaline rush," Stultz said of boxing. "It's like riding a roller coaster."

He moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii two years ago with no job, out of shape and with a smoking habit. His uncle, Keith Isobae, suggested he find an activity that would help him lose weight and to stop smoking.

"It's changed my life," Stultz said. "I always liked boxing. Now I want to be an amateur champion."

He had his shot when he met Lesley Walker in the 125-pound Golden Gloves final Saturday. It was only the seventh time Stultz had been in the ring, facing an opponent with 60 amateur bouts who had made the Golden Gloves nationals three times.

It was a hotly contested fight in which both fighters had a point deducted for rules violations. Walker eked out a victory, one that sends him to the West Regionals on March 28 and 29 at the Silver Nugget. But Stultz acquitted himself well -- good enough to win, he thought -- and was able to smile afterward.

"I wasn't scared of (Walker)," he said. "I feel like I did real good, but I know I could have done better. I didn't do a good job inside. But I'm not quitting. I'm going to give it another two years and see what happens."

RAHMAN'S SON FIGHTS PROUDLY

While Stultz walked around the Silver Nugget in relative anonymity, most everyone knew Hasim Rahman Jr. The son of the former world heavyweight champion is looking to blaze his own trail in boxing.

"My father made his share of mistakes," said Rahman, a 17-year-old senior at Durango High School, where he plays basketball. "I'm learning at an early age, and I get to learn from his mistakes."

His biggest lesson learned from his dad?

"Being prepared," he said. "No matter what I'm doing -- boxing, school, basketball, always be prepared."

Rahman was well prepared to win the 178-pound Golden Gloves title. Thierry Bennett attempted to frustrate him, constantly holding and tying him up. But Rahman used his jab effectively, didn't get careless and won an easy decision.

"I enjoy basketball, but I love boxing," he said. "I excel at boxing. It's one on one. Mano a mano. You can't pass the ball in the ring. It's all on you."

Rahman said he doesn't try to hide from his lineage and disregards outsiders' opinions.

"I embrace who I am," he said. "I'm proud of my father. But I don't listen to what people say. I just block it out and build my own legacy.

"Of course I want to be a world champion someday. But if it never happens, I'll hopefully use boxing to get an education."

BACKERS EAGER TO GROW SPORT

For local fighters, getting a boxing education usually means traveling outside of Southern Nevada. If a local fighter gets 10 bouts a year, he's doing well. Compare that to California, where amateurs often fight every two weeks and even 30 times a year.

"We have some kids in town who are right up there," said Martinez, who trains Juan Heraldez, one of the country's top 141-pound fighters. "But we need to get them more time in the ring. The more experience they get, the better they'll be."

Martinez also wants to see the sport grow so the talent pool will be larger.

"California, they have thousands of kids in the gyms," he said. "If we can increase the talent pool here (in Las Vegas) and train them better and send the best kids to the national competitions, we can do very well."

Dawn Barry shares Martinez's dream. She is hoping to register an additional 500 kids locally this year through USA Boxing, the sport's sanctioning body.

"When I first started 15 years ago, we had maybe 200 boxers registered in the entire state," she said. "Now, we have 1,000. We had 35 amateur shows in the state last year. We have 21 registered gyms. There's a lot of interest in boxing at this level.

"Boxing has survived two world wars, the Depression, Vietnam, 9/11. It's still here, and I don't see it going away."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.