Back in the 80's and 90's, when the legendary Lou Duva had under his stable of fighters the likes of Meldrick Taylor, Evander Holyfield, and Pernell Whitaker, a familiar phrase in the corner between rounds was commonly heard as his fighters would sit down. "You're boxing beautiful," Duva would be heard saying. Joey Gilbert's trainer, Skipper Kelp, was echoing similar praises to Gilbert throughout the first five rounds of his bout against Kasim Ouma this past Saturday night in Reno, Nevada.
In hindsight, somewhere in those rounds, something disoriented Joey enough that in the corner between rounds 5 and 6, Gilbert was contemplating staying on his stool, as he could not see out of his left eye and was suffering double vision in his right eye. Nevertheless, Gilbert did rise and came out for round 6. It was, however, the same round that Ouma decided to go for broke and open up his attack. A fast, non-stop combo which ended with a short stiff left uppercut from Ouma sent Joey to the canvas. Upon rising and being questioned by referee Vic Drakulich, Gilbert informed him that he was seeing double, which prompted Drakulich to bring a halt to the action.
On April 27, 2001, Hall of Famer Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker had his final match in nearby Lake Tahoe, ending in a TKO loss when he broke his clavicle against Carlos Bojorquez. Sweet Pea was taken immediatly to Barton Memorial hospital where, upon being discharged, he spoke with local media. From the hospital exit doors, he announced his retirement from boxing. Such was the similar case with Gilbert, when he was taken immediatly to Renown Medical Center, just down the road from the Grand Sierra Resort which hosted the bout. Shortly after midnight pacific time, Gilbert, upon being released from the Medical center, made official what everybody expected, announcing that he had put on the gloves for the final time.
By no means does Gilbert have Hall of Fame credentials. He wasn't an Olympic Gold Medalist that was destined to be great upon entering the pros, nor did he win multiple world titles before calling it a career. Joey's story, however, is one of an overachiever. An educated fighter who earned his law degree and boxed for the University of Nevada while earning that degree. He ended his collegiate boxing career as a 3-time NCAA boxing champion. After the college boxing experience, Gilbert did not have intentions of turning pro, and did not turn pro until the age of 24, only because he didn't want to live with the notions of what would've or could've happened. Gilbert was 8-0 in the summer of 2004 when he was chosen as one of the 16 contestants of season one of the reality TV show The Contender. Gilbert's Hard work, conditioning and gutsy effort against Peter Manfredo Jr. would cause his career to take off after the show would air on the NBC network.
Gilbert's career would peak with a 16-1 record and a number 4 world ranking. The 16th victory, a first round stoppage of Charles Howe, would later be turned into a No Contest when Gilbert tested positive for banned substances. The test, and subsequent 13 month absence from the ring, would forever taint Gilbert's legacy. On Valentine's day of 2009, he lost the biggest fight of his career at the time in a turf war showdown against fellow Contender fighter Jesse Brinkley. Gilbert's heart and guts were first on display in his loss to Manfredo when he fought back hard despite a cut that required 45 stitches. Once again, his heart was on display against Brinkley when he fought the last seven rounds with a broken nose that was bleeding profusely. This past Saturday night, against former jr. middlewieght champion Ouma, Gilbert fought arguably the best five rounds of his career and was in control of the bout before the tide turned and he was defeated. It is a shame to think that because of a concussion he suffered in the bout, he does not have a clear recollection of those great rounds in his life.
Gilbert's career may end up being remembered mostly by the positive test, and by him giving a great effort three times, but coming out on the losing end all three times. What should be remembered about Joey Gilbert career, however, is that of an overachiever who should've only really had a few pro fights before going on to be a successful lawyer. He no doubt will still succeed with his law firm, only now he has a few regional belts to display in his office. Whether you are a Hall of Fame world champion, a fighter that surpasses anyone's expectations, or just a bust, it is the sad reality of a fight career that it probably won't have the scripted ending that the athlete envisions. It is the simple gesture of art imitating life.
As someone that has known Joey from before the Contender days, and as a former soldier, this scribe's best memories of his career are two in particular. One was the last fight he had before The Contender, on an Oscar Diaz undercard at Caesar's Tahoe July 10, 2004, against Farid Shahid. I had ran into one of Joey's cornermen the day before the weigh-in and was told that Joey was in his hotel room "trying to get his gameface on and feel better." Joey had been battling the flu and his stomach was cramping. On fight night, seeing Joey arrive to the arena, you could tell he was not all there. He fought his heart out that night and overcame a lot of obstacles, yet dropped Shahid late in the fight and mustered the energy to finish as the much stronger fighter and earn the decision. It was after this night that you never had to ask me whether I thought Gilbert had the intestinal fortitude of a real fighter. I also remember hearing of him visiting the Marine base in Afghanistan that was right on the Pakistanian border and, in the words of one Marine whom was stationed there at the time, "No one would visit our base, beacause it was always coming under heavy rocket attack." The Marine, to this day, admires Joey for not only setting foot onto that base, but getting in a ring and going a round each of sparring with several of the Marines. The visit no doubt boosted morale at that particular time.
Joey's career should be considered a success, and best of luck should be given to him. He is now going to raise his infant daughter, devote the proper time to his law firm, and he gets to do it all while having his health intact. Not to mention, now has a few tales to share about his boxing career.