Pennsylvania Boxing Head Greg Sirb, Much Admired, Steps Aside After 33 Years

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2023

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When it comes to assessments of anyone’s career longevity, it helps to have a particularly persistent standard-bearer against whom an apt comparison can be made. Not that their respective involvements in boxing fit the same criteria, but consider this: Greg Sirb, the just-retired executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, stayed the course for 33½ years, during which he served in the administrations of seven governors and outlasted 14 secretaries of the Commonwealth. B-Hop swapped punches with gloved opponents in sanctioned bouts for 28 years, a span covering the time in office of “only” five occupants of the White House and six chief executives of his home state of PA.

Not that Sirb, 61, doesn’t know a thing or two about getting into scraps of a different sort and, like Hopkins, winning most of them. Just 28 when he was appointed by then-Governor Bob Casey Sr. on Jan. 29, 1990, to a post that seemingly came with scant prestige and even less sense of direction, the two-time former All-America wrestler at Edinboro (Pa.) University (that’s wrestling as it is done at the intercollegiate level, not scripted rasslin’ as performed by the pros) immediately went about the task, as Paul McCartney sang in Hey, Jude, of taking a somewhat sad song and making it better. A lot better, which is the consensus opinion of even some of those who periodically butted heads with Sirb over his intransigence when it came to the observance of rules, some of which he personally wrote when in 1992 he drafted language to amend the PSAC’s 1989 bylaws which many believed to be in need of an overhaul.

“I had a professor in grad school (Penn State, where he earned a master’s in Public Administration) who told me that when you leave a position, leave it better than when you took it over,” said Sirb, whose farewell gig was at ringside for a fight card in Philadelphia on Sept. 29. “Never leave the cupboard bare. I think I’m doing that.”

Time will tell, of course, but Sirb is confident that his hand-picked successor, Ed Kunkle, can keep a high gloss on the reputation of the PSAC which owes in large part to his predecessor’s handiwork that often lapped over the boundaries of Pennsylvania into other states. Sirb is a co-founder of the Association of Boxing Commissions, serving as its president from 1996 to 2001, and he was instrumental in the passage by the U.S. Congress of the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000. That the same legislators who passed those groundbreaking initiatives into law have given the ABC inadequate authority to enforce their tenets is embarrassing, but even Sirb is only capable of carrying the ball so far toward the goal line.

Professional boxing, of course, has its share of murky areas, so much so that identifying contributors to any cleanup project can be a daunting task. That said, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s vote to present Sirb with the James A. Farley Award for Honesty and Integrity in 2019 offers further proof that even a short guy with good intentions can stand tall among his peers.

“Greg has been instrumental in shaping the landscape not just of Pennsylvania’s state athletic commission, but also of athletic commissions across the country,” current Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said in a statement in praise of the retiring Sirb. “During his 33 years here, Greg has left an indelible mark on innumerable athletes through the sports and events he’s overseen.”

How many such events have there been during Sirb’s three-decades-plus watch? The man himself can’t give an exact number, but reasonably close estimates are than he has regulated 2,000-plus boxing events and 1,000 or so martial arts shows in Pennsylvania, in addition to supervising combat-sports cards in 21 states and tribal jurisdictions. He also oversees wrestling, nee rasslin’, events, which suits him fine given his stellar work on the mat as a college grappler at Edinboro.

So, what went into the making of Greg Sirb the ring-rattling rebel who was not content to settle for the status quo when he took on a state agency that needed just such a feisty fixer-upper? Well, his family background, and natural temperament, definitely were factors.

“When I was nine or 10 years old my father, who had boxed in the Army, would take me to the gym and that’s what we learned to do, me and my brothers,” he recalled. “It’s just something that I fell in love with. I also fell in love with wrestling. I liked the physicality of those sports, as well as MMA. It’s just a part of my DNA.”

Upon getting his master’s degree in Public Administration from Penn State, the 28-year-old Sirb, a native of Sharon, Pa., got a job in state government, with the Budget and Finance Committee. One of his duties was to audit all the state agencies, one of which was the state athletic commission. He quickly determined that the commission had “a lot of problems,” which led he and his colleagues to write a “not-so-good report about it.” It must have been a convincing document, because legislators basically decided that they were going to address the issue by coming up with a new and improved set of bylaws.

“They rewrote the law and created an executive director position,” said Sirb, noting that the commission was then headed by “executive secretary” Frank Walker, who did not have much authority to enact needed changes. Walker was eventually replaced by an older man who was with the horse racing commission, but he resigned after six weeks and then-Governor Bob Casey Sr., a Democrat, called upon Sirb to fill the vacancy on a trial basis.

“When I took the job I was young,” Sirb noted. “I had to earn my stripes. But I knew boxing – not as well as I know it now, but, boy, I got an education real quick. But I told myself (the commission) would be run a certain way. I did learn a few things, particularly from guys like (promoters) Russell Peltz, Artie Pelullo and Joe Hand Sr. and Jr. Those guys taught me there were a few things I needed to be a little more flexible on, like changing weigh-ins from the day-of to the day-before. With other things, though, I just couldn’t back down.”

Sirb’s status was hardly entrenched, and he wondered if he’d be let go when Casey left office and was replaced by Republican Tom Ridge. “I had to go for an interview and tell him what I did,” Sirb said of Ridge. “Obviously, state athletic commissions aren’t a high priority for any governor. But I was kept on, and (Ridge) was one of the best governors I’ve been with. He was very pro-boxing, came to a lot of the events. He turned out to be a huge fan of the commission.”

It didn’t hurt that Sirb made the PSAC self-sufficient financially, to the extent that the profits were funneled back into the general fund. So he kept on keeping on, making friends and also the occasional contrarian, most of whom he eventually won over. But more recent developments have made Sirb’s responsibilities even more taxing of his time and energy, which contributed to his decision to finally step away after the Sept. 29 fight card in Philly.

“I don’t think many people realize there aren’t many positions like mine,” he said. “I bet there’s less than 20 full-time executive directors of state commissions in the country. You’re working every single weekend, and since ’98 or ’99 I’ve had to deal with licensing athletic agents. With the work I was doing for the ABC, it was literally seven days a week. That phone never stopped ringing. But (Josh) Shapiro is my seventh governor. I just figured, let’s just get a new guy in here (as executive director of the PSAC) with a new governor.”

So, what’s next for the Energizer Bunny who felt he needed some much-deserved time off?

“I’m kind of mulling over some offers,” Sirb said. “I might do some consulting with (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania). It’s going to be hard, though, just walking away from something I’ve done for 33 years. There is interesting stuff I can do, but that’s not going to be for a couple of months.”

Bernard Fernandez, named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Observer category with the Class of 2020, was the recipient of numerous awards for writing excellence during his 28-year career as a sports writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. Fernandez’s first book, “Championship Rounds,” a compendium of previously published material, was released in May of last year. The sequel, “Championship Rounds, Round 2,” with a foreword by Jim Lampley, is currently out. His third boxing anthology, “Championship Rounds, Round 3,” is now out and available from Amazon and other book-selling outlets.

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Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

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Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

5 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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