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COLORADO SPRINGS, Vạt áo. (Tháng tám 20, 2018) – One of the classiest boxers to ever lace-up a pair of gloves is Tiến sĩ. 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 nói, “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.”
Biệt danh “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. Trong 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 Games Pan-American, 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. Quân đội, 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. Như một 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.
“Tiến sĩ. 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 nhận xét. “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.
“Anh ấy (McClure) has always been nice to me,” Sanders added. “I didn’t know him, Cá nhân, 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.”
Trong 1961, McClure turned pro and he was billed as the next Sugar Ray Robinson, largely due their similar boxing style. No endorsements, tuy nhiên, 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. Quân đội, attended college and was married with a baby. After only 14 đánh nhau pro, the mismanaged McClure was rushed into difficult matches against the likes of future world champions and Hall of Famers Luis Rodriguez (hai lần) và Jose Torres, plus No. 1 contender Ruben “Bão” Hạng chế sản xuất (hai lần), từ 1963 đến 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 với một 24-9 (12 Kos) kỷ lục chuyên nghiệp. 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
Hiệp hội cựu sinh viên quyền anh Hoa Kỳ
Created to champion a lifelong, mutually beneficial relations between USA Boxing and its alumni, –võ sĩ, quan chức, huấn luyện viên và người hâm mộ quyền anh — Hội cựu sinh viên kết nối các thế hệ vô địch, truyền cảm hứng và cống hiến cho những nhà vô địch quyền anh trong tương lai của Quyền Anh Hoa Kỳ, trong và ngoài của vòng.
The USA Boxing Alumni Association is open to anyone who has a love for boxing and would like to stay connected with amateur boxing. Members are granted access to a wide variety of special events hosted by the Alumni Association, bao gồm cả lễ đón tiếp thường niên của Hiệp hội cựu sinh viên quyền anh Hoa Kỳ.
Tham gia Hội cựu sinh viên, chỉ cần đăng ký tại alumni@usaboxing.org cho một $40.00 per year membership fee. New members will receive a T-shirt, móc khóa và ví điện tử.
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. Ngày nay, 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, Tiến sĩ. Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure is another outstanding USA Boxing product, as well as class personified.
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