Rebel boxers’ struggle beyond the ropes

By Jeff Haney

Friday, April 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The future of the UNLV boxing program could be in jeopardy because of a lack of funding, according to Frank Slaughter, a volunteer coach for UNLV since the team’s inception in 1998.

The urgency of the situation struck Slaughter last month when the program could not afford to send a full contingent of boxers to the National Collegiate Boxing Association Western Regional Championships in Reno.

“We could have brought at least six or seven people but we just didn’t have the money for it,” Slaughter said. “We had a good team, a team that actually could have competed this year, but we did not have the funding.”

Two UNLV boxers — 132-pounder Jerome Foster and 147-pounder Raphael Rodriguez — made their own way to Reno, and Slaughter met them there after paying for his own flight. Foster advanced to the NCBA national tournament at the University of Maryland, where he lost in the semifinals this month.

“This was the first year since the start of UNLV boxing, 10 years going on 11 years, that any kid had to pay out of his own pocket to travel,” Slaughter said. “It was pretty rough. I’m starting to think we might not be a team anymore and I would hate to have that happen.

“There’s a lot passion for what we have accomplished over the years with this team. For me, the best part is when the kids who have graduated call me back from grad school or medical school or wherever they’re going. It’s so satisfying to hear from them that we were a good, positive influence on them.”

The UNLV boxing team operates as a club sport and is not affiliated with the university’s athletic department. The NCAA has not sanctioned boxing since 1960.

A highlight for the program came in 2006 when UNLV won the team title at the NCBA national championships, an honor usually secured by teams from the U.S. Military Academy, the Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy.

“When we would travel as a full team, we had a real swagger, a great sense of team pride,” said Slaughter, a retired microbiology technologist who boxed in the Air Force. “But more than that, I have always looked at athletics and academics as the two basic, pure things humans can do in their lives.

“You strive to be the best you can academically and you strive to be the best you can athletically, which includes being fit, healthy and doing the right things. That’s my philosophy in life.”

For about the first eight years of the UNLV boxing team’s existence, the program had a prominent sponsor in Coors Brewing. Slaughter emphasized he remains grateful for the company’s support rather than disappointed the affiliation came to an end, and that in fact one of the UNLV boxing program’s goals has always been to become self-sufficient.

Financial support from private donors in Las Vegas suffered when the local economy took a severe turn for the worse, Slaughter said.

“We actually thought we were heading for self-sufficiency, but it turns out we were overconfident, especially after the bottom fell out of the economy,” he said.

The UNLV boxing program operates as a nonprofit organization, Slaughter said, and a budget of $30,000 to $40,000 would sustain the team for a year.

This past year the program attracted about 30 participants, about eight of whom were deemed “competition-ready,” according to Slaughter. That means they possessed the physical conditioning to fight at least three rounds; exhibited enough skill at defense to protect themselves in the ring; and had enough offensive skills to fight in a competitive bout.

“It’s a labor of love for me,” Slaughter said. “I’ve never asked for any money for myself. My satisfaction has always come from seeing these kids come into the gym and learn, work hard, and then to see them graduate.

“I feel that we have added to the college experience of the kids who have participated in our boxing program, either as competitors or just coming every day to learn about boxing. It’s something different. It’s something they would not normally be exposed to in college, an opportunity we provide that I believe enriches their college experience.”