Growing pains: Gilbert hopes to learn from last 2 years

RENO - Valentine's Day is supposed to be day of love and romanticism. It's the day men go all out to impress their significant others with flowers, jewelry and treat them to a special event. For many people earlier this year, that event was the much anticipated fight between former friends and hometown boxers Joey Gilbert and Jesse Brinkley.

In most fights that involve locals, there is a line drawn that divides family and friends alike. One will chant for their favorite and the other will laud the same fighter.

But on that night, there was almost no division. It was clear that most of the more than 8,000 people in attendance at the Reno Events Center were pro-Brinkley. It didn't matter that Gilbert had won three national championships while attending the University of Nevada, Reno less than a mile away from the fight.

What did matter is that Gilbert was the heel, fresh off a one-year suspension after testing positive for steroids and, briefly, a charge of methamphetamine use that was later proved to be a false positive. But his exoneration didn't matter.

"That environment that night in Reno, my hometown, after being a three-time national champ and four-time All-American, always coming into a positive crowd with such good energy, if I had to say one thing really flipped the switch the wrong way, that was it," Gilbert said. "I went from bouncing on my toes and saying, 'I'm going to give it to Jesse tonight,' to all of a sudden saying, 'Man, this is going to be a long night.'"

And that it was. Gilbert was caught by the hard-punching Brinkley in the fifth round in a shot that broke his nose and sent blood splattering everywhere. The crowd became bored when it appeared that he was running from Brinkley in a strategy that clearly didn't work. And even though he stayed on his feet for all 12 rounds, it was obvious who the victor was. While Brinkley celebrated his unanimous decision, Gilbert spent the night in the hospital.

Six month later, Gilbert's wounds are mostly healed. But that night has forever changed him. Since then he has put to use the law degree that has largely collected dust, is contemplating a political future and has learned that his cavalier behavior early in his career has torn apart the image he had of himself.

Gilbert, who starred on NBC's "The Contender," with Brinkley in 2005, has always shown he wanted to be more than just a boxer. During his six-month hiatus from the ring, Gilbert has paired up with William J. Routsis, a former boxer himself and William A. Swafford to open Routsis Gilbert & Swafford, LLC. The firm mostly concentrates on criminal defense, personal injury, loan modifications and bankruptcy. Gilbert earned his law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, but hasn't seen much time in a courtroom as a result of what was a busy boxing career. He says he has split up his training in three daily parts in order to concentrate on the firm.

But even with so much on his plate, Gilbert isn't ready to forgo the rest of his boxing career just yet.

"I really wouldn't consider it a crossroads because if there's one thing I do and do quite well is balance a lot of things when I'm super busy," Gilbert said. "If have one or two things going on, my ADD and my ADHD kick in and I'm just not as productive. When I have 15 things going on, I'm just bam, bam, bam...

"I don't call it a crossroads because I love boxing and I love being in that 10th round bleeding like a sib, in more pain than I've ever been, with the crowd going back and forth with the crowd going, 'Joey, Joey,' 'Jesse, Jesse.' And I'm not ready to give that part up yet. I want to have one or two more years. 24 months, maybe a little longer if things go right of finishing that and then moving on. So if it's a crossroads, it's a crossroads of me disciplining myself."

Gilbert (17-2) is slated to fight Aug. 29 in the Rural Rumble in Fallon, which is being promoted by Let's Get it On Promotions, against an opponent yet to be named. At 33 years old, a fight in such a small venue is seen as a giant step back for a fighter that showed so much promise after becoming one of the top 10 middleweight boxers in the world. But that was before his suspension after testing positive from a Sept. 21 2007 fight and subsequent legal battle to clear his name set him back. Now, Gilbert has to start nearly from scratch if he ever hopes to rectify his career. That first step, though, will take place in a town that is likely to hold the same hostility that Gilbert heard against Brinkley and the question this time is how will the image-conscious fighter react to another barrage of boos?

"I think anybody wants to be seen in a good light," Gilbert said. "I really took a hard hit with that stuff with the commission. There's nothing like being accused of using methamphetamine, especially when you live by a certain code. I try to be as polite and humble as I can, I try to be as respectful as I can, I try to be as mindful of other people as I can so maybe that does drive me a little more and I let it affect me a little more than I should. I've been told to stop worrying about what people think, but then you've never been in this situation where you hear the snickers and stares and you see the looks and you read the blog posts and you see the articles and you hear the people talking. Stuff comes back to you and it makes you a better person; it keeps you honest. You don't want to hear that stuff, but you can't control what everybody says.

"So yeah, the perception that people have of me sometimes it affects me to a degree, but at the same time I think you have to be mindful of that. I was kind of an arrogant little [expletive] when I got off 'The Contender' I thought I was this superstar. There was a lot of growing up I had to do. I wanted to be manipulative at times, I wanted to make it all about me, but as you go through it and you grow up a little bit you see that it's not all about you. Everyone else has important things going on that's important to them, so it's a learning experience and as much as some of the painful stuff has been, it's served me well."

Those lessons could help Gilbert in a political arena. After his career is over, Gilbert said he would like to pursue a state senate seat but it is uncertain how his transgressions in boxing might affect his chances in a political race. His rivals will have easy ammunition to lob at him between the methamphetamine charge to using steroids, which is also illegal in the United States. But the one thing that Gilbert said he has on his side is that he fought the charge head on. He spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to clear his name with the Nevada Boxing Commission and now has taken the fight to Quest Diagnostics, who administered the test, in a lawsuit.

"The one thing I can say about the political side is if I do it, I want to do it to make a difference," Gilbert said. "To me, titles don't mean anything. I can actually do more and always be able to help more where I'm at. I don't want to be tethered in some respect, but I think you can't say what you mean to say or do what you mean to do in certain situations."

And so it seems Gilbert is growing up before our own eyes. While his critics still chip away at his armor when ever his name is brought up, Gilbert is moving forward even saying that kids are in his five-year plan.

"Definitely with some kids, may or not be married," Gilbert said. "Molly (Mentaberry) and I have been together eight or nine years, but we have the most unbelievably stress-free, cool relationship and almost everybody I know that has gotten married is miserable ... Law firm doing excellent because it's already doing well now, retired from boxing, probably doing some promoting or entertaining, something like that and by then be involved in public service.

"Hopefully that will be the deal. I want to be able to surf well by then. I've been trying to learn how to surf, but it's not really going that well."