KNOCKOUT
Contributing Writer
The undisputed king of college boxing, the United States Air Force Academy, has been crowned national champion 10 of the past 12 years.
George Ginter, UK's boxing coach, believes his team could deliver a knock-out punch to the king and assume the throne.
"I'm not making any guarantees," Ginter said, "but we have an outside shot at winning the national title."
The team's title hopes rest on the shoulders of four underclassmen. Returning All-American Brant Duttle is a sophomore, co-captains Ryan Carroll and David Mullins are freshmen and Tulegan Duisembaer will be a freshman next semester.
Duttle, a marketing sophomore, had no prior boxing experience before coming to UK. Last year, while boxing at 119 pounds, he was the Midwest region representative at the national championship in Colorado Springs, Colo., thereby earning All-American status.
Although he lost a decision to the eventual national champion, he came away with renewed confidence for this year. As a result of his performance last year, Duttle is one of the favorites to win the national title at 119 pounds this year.
Ginter believes Mullins could be the best collegiate boxer in the country. Mullins is one of the few members of the team that has previous boxing experience. The Nicholasville, Ky., native boxed in a Junior Olympic program in Lexington when he was 13 and 14, but said he got "burned out" after a while.
Mullins, an undeclared freshman, ran cross country and track in high school, but decided to return to boxing when he got to UK. He is confident about winning the national title this year.
"I will win, I guarantee I will win it," Mullins said. "It's not bragging if you can back it up."
UK's other co-captain, Ryan Carroll, also boxed for Ginter as a 14-year-old. After moving to Delaware, Ohio, Carroll excelled in football. He was recruited by several small colleges in the Midwest as well as Division I-AA school.
In college, Carroll decided to leave football for boxing, a wise decision according to his coach.
"Ryan could be the best heavyweight in the nation, despite being only 5-foot-11," Ginter said.
Carroll decided to stay with boxing because of the individual nature of the sport.
"No matter what happens, it is all individual," Carroll said. "If I win, I know all the conditioning paid off. If I lose, I know the guy had to be pretty good to beat me."
Carroll hopes to box as long as he can. He will see how this season goes and then try out at the Olympic Trials in April. If things go well, he will consider turning pro this summer instead of keeping his collegiate eligibility.
Duisembaer is another newcomer with previous experience. A native of Kazakhstan, a nation formerly part of the Soviet Union, he boxed in the Soviet Junior Program as a high schooler.
He said that the main style difference between Soviet and American boxers is the higher number of left-handers here.
Duisembaer was able to come to UK as a result of a sponsorship from an agricultural equipment company in Kazakhstan (he likens it to John Deere). The company will pay for his education and he must return and work for the company.
He has been in America for a year, working with private tutors. His acceptance to UK is contingent upon the score of an upcoming ACT.
Ginter believes that with the experience Duisembaer has and the lone exhibition he has seen him fight, that he too has a chance at winning a national title. The team has a number of other newcomers who hope to make an impact this season.
Jerry Menfee, a criminal justice sophomore, is in his first semester of boxing. A strong safety on his high school football team, he also prefers boxing because of its emphasis on individual performance.
"You're on your own team in the ring," the 180-pound Menfee said. "It's do or die. You can't blame anything on anyone else."
Chad Goetz, a 132-pound psychology junior, is in his second year with the team. He is hoping for a return trip to regionals this year and a possible trip to nationals.
Kent Fletcher, a civil engineering sophomore, is in his first year of boxing. A state finalist in wrestling and a soccer player in high school, Fletcher has always been a good athlete. He is hoping that his experience in Marine boot camp will prepare him for the upcoming season.
Christy Halbert has one of the team's more interesting stories.
A graduate student in human sociology, she originally came in contact with Ginter and the team while doing research for one of her classes.
A former contestant in the Toughman competition and a scholarship volleyball player at Western Kentucky University, she began to working out with the team.
"I have never felt the adrenaline rush I feel in boxing," Halbert said. "The problem many boxers face is being able to control that rush."
Halbert has competed in a few bouts over her career.
UK competes in the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA), a sub-group of USA Boxing which is based in Colorado Springs. Boxers must pay a registration fee to the group which covers the cost of insurance.
The team will host an exhibition on Dec. 2, but the venue has yet to be announced. The season will not begin until next semester.
Several weight classes are still open to anyone interested. Ginter said that everyone will box at tournaments until regionals, where only the top boxers at each weight class will compete.
The team practices at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Central Kentucky Boxing Gym at the High Street YMCA. For more information, call Carroll at (606) 245-3782.
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