Schuh eyes National Golden Gloves title

IOWA CITY - Martin Schuh of Iowa City took care of business - as usual - earlier this month by winning his seventh consecutive Iowa Golden Glove championship at the Forte Conference Center in Des Moines.

Now comes the next phase, winning a title at the National Golden Gloves tournament next month in Las Vegas.

'My main goal right now is to win the national tournament,” said Schuh, who has lost in the first round four times at nationals. 'Obviously I was happy to win the state championship, but my mind-set is really to get to the national one and win there, too, because that would probably open doors for me.

'For one, it could lead to me being able to travel with the USA boxing team, which is something I've always wanted to do.”

As far as 'opening doors” goes, Schuh has no dreams of someday competing professionally, however, despite what others have told him.

'If his heart and soul is in it, the sky is the limit,” said Clif Johnson, Schuh's coach at ICOR Boxing Club in Iowa City. 'If he decided to go pro, I could see him doing it. Absolutely.”

Schuh, who graduated from the University of Iowa in December with a degree in Health and Human Physiology, has other plans. He hopes to trade in his boxing gloves for a more practical job in the coming years.

'I have realized that, eventually, probably in a couple of years, I'll be done and focus on other things,” he said. 'It's just not something I want to pursue professionally. It hasn't even really crossed my mind to go pro. I just graduated in December and I thought I'd always make money with my brain, not my hands.”

Johnson said Schuh's latest state title - which included a decision over Tony Woods of the Cedar Rapids Boxing Club in the finals - was a testament to hard work and intellect.

'His attention to detail really makes him unique (as a boxer),” Johnson said. 'When he's throwing his shots, he's really crisp; he's not just fighting like a wild man. He's like a surgeon with his scalpel out there in the ring - landing shots where he knows they're going to count and pay off later, and at the same time, he's moving and is untouchable when it comes down to it because he doesn't have to get hit.”