Stiff Jab 2013 Amateur Boxer of the Year: Kareem Martin
Kareem Martin photos by Sarah Deming and Patrice Harris
by Sarah Deming
Stiff Jab has a special love for the fighters of D.C., so we didn’t need to think too hard about this one. Kareem Martin of the mighty Headbangers team was the best in his class domestically, sweeping the youth welterweight divisions of the 2013 National Championships and the PAL Nationals.
Martin also scored a big international win in the Klitschko Brothers Tournament, fending off fighters from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Just 18 years old, “Reemo” is quiet and shy outside the ring. Inside it, his patient punching style bears witness to hundreds of rounds of sparring with Lamont and Anthony Peterson.
(Left to right): Dwight Martin; Lamont Roach, Jr; Coach “Boogie” Harris of Headbangers; Kareem “Reemo” Martin; Coach Lamont Roach of NoXcuse
“He’s a beast. I call him The Hulk,” says teammate Tiara Brown, a finalist for this year’s honor herself.
“He’s an outstanding young fighter and an all-around good kid. I believe he’s won 14 national titles,” added trainer Barry Hunter. “I look forward to his future as a professional fighter.”
So do we. With his body-punching attack and international pedigree, Martin, Brown and Patrick Harris seem like good bets to continue the Headbangers tradition into the next generation. Martin credited hard work for all his success in 2013, and said he plans to turn pro this year. When he does, you can count on us being there.[[MORE]]
USA Boxing needs more fighters like Reemo, Tiara, Claressa Shields, and Newark’s rising star Shakur Stevenson, who can step up to the plate against tough international opponents, and we need to take care of them so they don’t rush to go pro.
2013 was a rebuilding year for USA Boxing after our men’s miserable showing at the London Olympics. Controversial president Hal Adonis got the boot in favor of Dr. Charles Butler, and the affable Coach Pedro Roque of Cuba took over the high performance helm.
Both moves were bids to improve our federation’s standing with AIBA, the sport’s international governing body, who have officially dropped the word “amateur” from their name. Under Butler’s leadership, the US was just the second country in the world to drop headgear for our elite male fighters.
Most of the elite boxers we interviewed loved losing the headgear. Earl Newman, Jr. coming off a banner year with wins in the World and National Golden Gloves, says it lets him stay cooler in the ring, improves visibility, and forces better defensive movement. His achievements this year helped Earl land among our finalists for this award, along with the fighters mentioned above and Lamont Roach Jr. of NoXcuse Boxing in Maryland (below right with Kareem Martin).
This enthusiasm was not echoed by the trainers, who worried about long-term safety issues. Gary Russell, Sr., patriarch of D.C.’s homegrown boxing dynasty, kept his son Gary Antonio Russell in the senior (headgear) division in the National Championships for fear of career-shortening cuts. AIBA’s claim that bareheaded boxing is safer is problematic at best and contradicted by their retention of headgear for women and youths.
A source close to the competition at this year’s World Championships in Kazakhstan tells us that the rule change is not popular with the International Olympic Committee. It remains to be seen whether our men will be bareheaded in Rio.