Joey Gilbert was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 5th in 1976.  His mother Debby and Joey's father Joseph Chiarmonte, gave Joey the middle name of his grandfather, Salvatore.  Years later, Joey's mother will get a divorce and years along the road re-marry Dr. Warren S. Gilbert, M.D., will give Joey his last name.  Dr. Gilbert and Debby raised Joey and his three sisters in Reno, Nevada.  Once Joey graduated from Bishop Manogue Catholic High School, he became a student at the University of Nevada.  Right away, Joey joined the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon.  Throughout college, Joey was well known for joking around but staying involved in school organizations, including student government.  Furthermore, he became very interested in boxing and began to train at the Nevada Boxing Gym.  Winning fight after fight, Joey decided to keep his desire to box to himself until he felt will be a right time to prove his talent and passion for the sport.

A victory in the regional championship revealed to Joey’s family the secret of his success in the ring.  Unfortunately, in the championship bout Joey broke his nose and suffered a pretty bad injury.  Moreover, Joey continued to box as well as proceeding with his education at the university by earning a degree in English literature.  Inclusively, he won three consecutive National Championships and was named Outstanding Boxer of the NCAA Tournament two times.  The first major accomplishment that finally proved the true meaning of success in the ring was Joey’s first place win in the Nevada State Golden Gloves Super Middleweight Championship as he finished with an amateur career record of 27-1.

After college, Joey wasn’t only a successful scholar but had also attained several championship titles.  In the year 2000, Joey presented himself as a professional boxer at Harrah’s Casino.  Needless to say, the fight only lasted two rounds as Joey knocked out his opponent to officially present the beginning of his pro-career as a boxer.  Aside from his tremendous accomplishments in the ring, Joey continued his education at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.  Sure enough, Joey will graduate with a degree in law while still concentrating in boxing.  With the help of some of his closest friends as a hired-staff, Joey Gilbert graduated with a law degree and a pro-record of 7-0.

Although the process of becoming a successful college graduate and boxer for Joey Gilbert seems to have been long but lenient, there were tumultuous events that took place during the process.  One of Joey’s best friends, Donald Joseph Benardis, passed away after being involved in a car accident in 1996.  The death of his friend really affected Joey as he experienced a period of depression.  Additionally, in the year 2004, Joey’s grandfather, John Aiello, passed away which also brought down Joey’s rigorous and never-ending determination to succeed in the ring.  However, Joey explains that he is aware that bad occurrences in life must be survived, and it is such events that cause his confidence to solely grow stronger and deeper.

Joey was part of NBC’s THE CONTENDER, a reality television show revolving around sixteen potential boxers in search of becoming middleweight champions.  The ultimate price of the show’s tournament is one million dollars.  Joey proved to be outstanding among the other contenders on the show as his intelligence and athleticism overcame whatever obstacle other contenders found difficult to surpass.  Joey defeated Jimmy Lange, who had a better record than Joey, proving that underdogs do come through.  Unfortunately, Joey lost against Peter Manfredo and left the show one step from being part of the final four.  However, it is impossible to not recognize that Joey’s part in the show was exceptional as he proved to be the most overwhelming competitor and most of the time the winner of all the challenges.

Today, Joey’s boxing career flourishes as each day passes.  However, Joey’s career as a lawyer is still present along with his goals to form part of the entertainment business.  Being a commentator for Cox Communications, a regular radio show guest for numerous stations, and having been offered several endorsement deals, Joey is a successful “businessman, attorney, sports commentator and more.” (www.joeygilbert.com).

Having learned so much about Joey’s life and career has solely increased my admiration for his success.  In the ring, it’s always a real treat to watch his jabs, hooks and combinations.  However, what I most admire is his heart and the passion for the sport of boxing.  He doesn’t only respect the sport, but also loves it.  Another thing I find that really encourages my fanaticism is the way he always credits his family for all of his success in the ring and off.