March 28, 2024

NORM- MUCH MORE THAN THE EXCEPTION

161014-boxer-feature By WBCnews

There are many reasons a person should not be allowed into the ring, but  is NOT one of them.

Norman Steiner, Attorney, Ex-Military, Krav Magra Instructor, trained by world Champion Yuri Foreman, was stopped from engaging in an amateur fight on October 15th, 2016 against a 62 year old opponent, by USA Boxing. He was ready. He’d passed all medicals. He was fulfilling his dream.

“One of my grandfathers drove a truck for the Daily News and had a James Cagney wardrobe and attitude –  taking me to the fights in the Bronx when I was a young kid. He was a “knock around” kind of guy.

“The other grandfather was the son of a famous Rabbi.  I grew up loving both.  Becoming friends with Yuri and training with him was almost a divine and natural occurrence.” said Norman.

Well, it wasn’t divine intervention that stopped the fight. Instead, USA Boxing decided that Norman, who’d lost part of his leg in a car accident and was wearing a specially designed prosthesis, shouldn’t fight.

In 1993 the same organization stopped women from fighting in the amateurs, until a law suit changed their minds. Norman, is following the same path.

World Boxing Council President, Mauricio Sulaiman, supports the right of any well trained and physically able person to engage in the sport of their choice.  Take a lesson from the women, USA Boxing. Let’s hope this discriminatory and heartless act doesn’t go unpunished.

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