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USA Boxing Alumni Association Profile: Dr. Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure

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1960 OLYMPIC GOLD: (L-R) Wilbert McClure, Cassius Clay and Eddie Crook, Jr.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Hring. (Ágúst 20, 2018) – One of the classiest boxers to ever lace-up a pair of gloves is Dr. Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure, who is the only American boxer to capture an Olympic gold-medal and also earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D).

 

 

 

“When I think of ‘Skeeter’ McClure,” USA Boxing president John Brown sagði, “I think of the grassroots of our sport. When ‘Skeeter’ was a young boy growing up in Toledo, Ohio, he had a twinkle in his eye and a desire to box. We would learn later in life how talented, gifted and passionate ‘Skeeter’ McClure was about the sport of boxing.

 

 

 

“It would be impossible for me, somebody who has spent his entire life in boxing, to find a better representative of our sport than ‘Skeeter’ McClure.”

 

 

 

Kallaður “Skeeter” because his father thought he looked no bigger than a mosquito at birth, McClure was born October 29, 1938 in Toledo, Ohio, and he developed into the perfect example of brains and brawn.

 

 

 

The now 79-year-old McClure earned degrees in literature and philosophy in 1961 from the University of Toledo and a doctorate in psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit. He was a professor at Northeastern University and late became a Massachusetts state boxing commissioner. Í 2012, he was honored for his life’s work by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.

 

 

 

McClure had an incredible boxing career, highlighted by his gold-medal performance at the 1960 Olympic Games, defeating his Italian opponent in Rome, Carmelo Bossi, to capture the light middleweight gold medal, despite fighting with a severely damaged hand suffered in the semifinals. The two other American gold medalists that year was his roommate and team co-captain, Cassius Clay (aka Muhammad Ali) and Eddie Crook, Jr.

 

 

 

During his illustrious amateur career, McClure was dominant in 1959-1960, winning gold medals at the 1959 Pan-American Games, two-time National AAU tournaments, 1958 International Diamond Belt. He was also named Outstanding U.S. Amateur Boxer in 1959.

 

Al Valenti, Special Projects Consultant for USA Boxing, has known McClure as long as anybody alive, “I had the pleasure of meeting ‘Skeeter’ McClure in the late eighties,” Valenti noted, “and since the day I met him I’ve held him in the highest esteem. I cannot find another boxer who has achieved what ‘Skeeter’ has during his life in boxing. He was a talented amateur boxer who won at every level and, beyond that, he served in the U.S. Army, earned a Ph.D in psychology, and he also had a long career as a college professor. One thing that stands out among his accomplishments is that he’s the kindest, most sincere gentlemen I’ve ever met.

 

 

 

“During his tenure on the Massachusetts Boxing Commission, he fully understood the sport and what was needed. As a promoter, I was never busier than when he oversaw boxing in Massachusetts. One of the highlights of my life is when I introduced ‘Skeeter’ to crowds at our events, after listening to his lists of accomplishments, how the crowd always gave him a standing ovation.

 

 

 

“Dr. Wilbert ‘Skeeter” McClure is a true champion and a class act. No American boxer will ever accomplish what he did.”

 

 

 

“I first met Wilbert at the 1964 National AAU Championships,” 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Jesse Valdez athugasemd. “I had just turned 16. I had won the National Golden Gloves for the first time and went to the National AAU and got beaten by Quincy Daniels, who had won a bronze medalist at the 1960 Olympics with Wilbert. I said hello but really didn’t know Wilbert. I was young, shy and kept to myself. I didn’t realize he was an Olympic gold medal winner until later, while taking with the other guys. I was really impressed by his background.

 

 

 

“Wilbert is somebody kids today need to look up to. He’s a great example for kids coming up and dreaming about winning an Olympic gold medal. And Wilbert went on to get an education. He’s a great example for kids today in the program (USA Boxing).”

 

 

 

Legendary amateur boxing coach Roosevelt Sanders, who last year was inducted into the first class of the USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame, lost to McClure in the 1960 USA Olympic Trials.

 

 

 

“Hann (McClure) has always been nice to me,” Sanders added. “I didn’t know him, persónulega, but met him, fought him, and saw him fight on television. He’s a smart guy, always a gentleman, and being a U.S. Marine, we were taught to absorb that.”

 

 

 

Í 1961, McClure turned pro and he was billed as the next Sugar Ray Robinson, largely due their similar boxing style. No endorsements, þó, and the odds were really stacked against McClure reaching the same heights as a pro that he had attained as an amateur. During the early part of his professional career, McClure served in the U.S. Army, attended college and was married with a baby. After only 14 atvinnumaður berst, the mismanaged McClure was rushed into difficult matches against the likes of future world champions and Hall of Famers Luis Rodriguez (tvisvar) og Jose Torres, plus No. 1 keppinautur Ruben “Hurricane” Carter (tvisvar), frá 1963 að 1966. McClure was on the losing end of four of those five fights, all by decisions, but he did fight Carter to a draw.

 

 

 

McClure retired from the ring in 1970 með a 24-9 (12 Kos) faglega met. He eventually resettled in the Boston suburb of Chestnut Hill, where he taught at Northeastern University and later was a consultant to industry and government, teaching administrators how to deal with people.

 

 

 

1960 USA Olympic Boxing Team – Wilbert McClure is standing, third from the right, in front of Cassius Clay

 

Bandaríska hnefaleikasambandið

 

Búið til til að standa vörð um ævina, gagnkvæm tengsl milli USA Boxing og alumni þess, –Boxer, embættismenn, þjálfarar og hnefaleikaaðdáendur — Alumni Félagið tengir kynslóðir meistara, hvetjandi og gefa til baka til framtíðar hnefaleikameistara USA Boxing, inn og út úr hringnum.

 

 

 

Bandaríska hnefaleikasambandið er opið öllum sem hafa áhuga á hnefaleikum og vilja vera í sambandi við áhugamannahnefaleika. Members are granted access to a wide variety of special events hosted by the Alumni Association, including its annual USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame reception.

 

 

 

Til að ganga í Alumni Association, skráðu þig einfaldlega á alumni@usaboxing.org fyrir $40.00 á ári félagsgjaldi. Nýir félagar fá stuttermabol, lyklakippu og rafveski.

 

 

 

 

An eloquent speaker who was equally comfortable with corporate executives and boxing fans alike, McClure remained close friends with Ali, Carter and so many others he befriended in boxing. Í dag, he is in ill health but still receives unparalleled respect from all those he’s touched in and out of the ring and classroom.

 

 

 

Simply said, Dr. Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure is another outstanding USA Boxing product, as well as class personified.

 

UPPLÝSINGAR:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing, @USABoxingAlumni

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

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Hnefaleikaþjálfarinn Orlando Cuellar fer aftur til framtíðar í 5. St.. Líkamsrækt

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MIAMI (Október 26, 2016) — Alþjóðlega þekktur hnefaleikaþjálfari Orlando Cuellar er kominn í hring, strax aftur til hinna frægu 5th St. Líkamsrækt á South Beach, þar sem hann heimsótti eitt sinn sem unglingur til að læra og þjálfar nú bardagamenn af sex dögum í viku.
Fæddur í Havana, Cuba, Fjölskylda Cuellar settist aftur að í Miami þegar hann var þriggja ára með Orlando sem bjó þar í gegnum menntaskóla. Sem áhugamaður Boxer, Cuellar man vel eftir því að hafa horft á hnefaleikara á 5th St. Líkamsrækt eins og Cassius Clay, Willie Pastrano, Vinnie Short og Florentino Fernandez, sem og goðsagnakenndir tamningamenn, bræður Angelo og Chris Dundee.
“Ég horfði á og lærði, að taka upp eins mikið og ég gat,” Cuellar sagði. “Nú, Ég lendi í því að vinna úr 5th St. Líkamsrækt undanfarnar sex vikur. Þetta hefur verið ótrúleg reynsla. Daglega, þú veist aldrei hver ætlar að ganga um dyrnar þar. Það hefur verið eitt besta hnefaleikahús í heimi í meira en 50 ár. Frá dögum aftur til Muhammad Ali, bardagamenn hafa laðast að þessari líkamsræktarstöð vegna ríkrar sögu hennar og mikils sparringa, sem og svæðið með veitingastöðum South Beach, klúbba og strönd. Það hlýja, rakt veður auðveldar bardagamönnum einnig að léttast í hlaupum og þjálfun.
“(Eigandi) Dino Spencer er að bera á 5th St. Hefð líkamsræktarstöðvarinnar. Hver dagur sem ég er þar er spennandi fyrir mig. Blandaðir þjóðernishópar æfa þar og það er segull fyrir hæfileika. Það er sparring þrjá daga vikunnar – Ég kalla það Spar-a-rama – og öllum velkomið að skora á sjálfa sig. Sparringurinn er betri en mikið af sjónvarpsátökum.
“5th St. Líkamsræktarþjálfari Guy Laieta hafði verið að reyna að sannfæra mig um að komast í liðið síðustu fimm árin. Ég talaði við Dino nokkrum sinnum, þar sem ég lýsi löngun minni til að þjálfa bardagamenn út af 5th St. Líkamsrækt. Sagði hann, 'Gerum það.’ Árangur af 5th St. Líkamsrækt í dag hefur mikið að gera með eignarhald. Dino hefur ástríðu fyrir hnefaleikum og hann er mjög gestrisinn, sem læðist að starfsmönnum hans og bardagamönnum. Góð vibra allan tímann!”
Cuellar hélt til Las Vegas í 1976 og, eftir að hann áttaði sig á því að vera boxari var honum ekki fyrir bestu, hann byrjaði að þjálfa bardagamenn þar í 1981 út úr líkamsræktarstöð Johnny Garcia. Ári síðar, hann færði stöð sína í Brooklyn og byrjaði að þjálfa bardagamenn út af öðru hnefaleikatákni, Gleason er Gym. Í 2000, hann settist aftur að í Miami.
Þekktastur sem heimsmeistari í léttþungavigt, yfirþjálfari Glen Johnson, Cuellar vann einnig með verðandi meisturum eins og Nicolas Walters, Rances Barthelemy og Erslandy Lara, sem og Luis Franco, Aaron Davis og Juan Carlos Gomez, svo eitthvað sé nefnt af þeim athyglisverðari. Í dag, hann er aðal annar fyrir nokkra helstu bardagamenn þar á meðal Antonio Tarver.
Viðurkenndur allan hnefaleikann sem yfirburðakennari, Árangur Cuellar er aðallega rakinn til þjálfunar hans á bardaga á einstaklingsgrundvelli, með áherslu á persónulegar þarfir þeirra frekar en að veita öllum bardagamönnum sömu leiðbeiningar og athygli.
“Hver bardagamaður þarfnast persónulegrar og sérstakrar vinnu til að bæta hæfileika sína frá Guði,” Cuellar útskýrði. “Þú getur ekki kennt öllum bardagamönnum á sama hátt. Ég sérhæfi mig í því sem ég kalla gamla skólann kynnist nýjum skóla. Gamli skólinn var fyrirfram og persónulegur að fara 15 umferðir, nýr skóli snýst um að kasta fleiri höggum, meiri fótahreyfing og slagsmál að utan. ég kenni doffense: vörn + móðgun. Kýla eru ekki vítamín, enginn ætti að taka. Hnefaleikar eru lítið annað en viðbragðsslag; einn bardagamaður á móti öðrum, en raunverulegt bragð er hvernig kappinn notar viðbrögð sín. Ég kenni bardagamönnunum mínum hvernig á að breyta hringsvuntunni í jarðsprengju.”
Hnefaleikar hafa leikið stórt hlutverk í lífi Cuellar. Aftur í 5th St. Líkamsrækt er bara annar kafli í einstöku lífi hans.
“Ég lifi í gegnum bardagamenn mína,” Cuellar að lokum. “Sérhver sigur er mín stoltasta stund. Það eru engir stórir eða litlir sigrar, Sérhver sigur er hamingjusamur stund vegna allrar erfiðis og fórnar sem ég og bardagamaðurinn minn færðu í æfingabúðunum.”
Orlando Cuellar er himinlifandi yfir því að hafa snúið aftur til framtíðar.