Bio

Joseph "Joey" Salvatore Gilbert

Combine the speed and grace of ballet with the brutality of war, mix in a couple thousand extremely loyal and rowdy fans, and you have the thrilling experience of watching a Joey Gilbert fight. Joey is a rising star in professional boxing.

Many commentators and boxing insiders even say that the young Italian-American reminds them of the great Italian middleweights of history. They say that Joey has the rugged durability and fierce determination to win exhibited by boxing legends like Jake La Motta and Rocky Graziano, and he has the skill of such ring craftsmen as Tony Zale and Carmen Basilio. Joey's exceptional prowess in the ring is not, however, what makes him stand out from others in professional boxing. In fact, he is quite unique in the sport.

Joey has certainly amassed an impressive string of achievements in the ring. As a collegiate fighter at the University of Nevada, Joey was a three-time National Champion, a four-time Regional Champion, a four-time All American, and Nevada State Golden Gloves Super Middleweight Champion. Joey is more than the sum of his achievements in the ring, however. His story is one of courage and perseverance. Indeed, Joey's story is as much about overcoming adversity and dreaming big as it is about success. In many ways, that is the true story of his success. Today, Joey is a college and law school graduate, attorney, sports agent, businessman, TV personality, sports commentator and undefeated professional boxer. He lives by the maxim that there are no limitations to what you can achieve in life except the limitations of your own mind. This way of thinking has helped Joey become one of the most versatile talents in America and a greatly sought after commodity in the entertainment and sports industries.

In this regard, Joey has been cast along with 15 other boxers to star on NBC's much-anticipated show, "THE CONTENDER." The show is slated to debut on March 7, 2005. Acting legend and Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, and former six-time world boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Leonard are the hosts of the show while Mark Burnett (NBC's "The Apprentice," "Survivor") and Hollywood mega-producer Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks SKG are the show's executive producers.

The show consists of 16 ranked fighters competing in sanctioned bouts for a $1 million cash prize. "The Contender" is one of the largest TV productions ever and viewership estimates for the show range between 15-20 million viewers per week in the U.S., and it will be shown in 20 other countries. The theme of the show is much broader than just boxing - it will provide viewers with a ringside look into the real-life dreams, victories and defeats of the boxers.

Joey's unique and amazing story begins in Chicago, where he was born on June 5, 1976. Joey's large Italian family emigrated from southern Italy (Bari) and Sicily (Termini) in the early 20th Century. Joey's mother Debby is a nurse, a homemaker, an incredible cook, and like every Italian mother her life is her children. Her maiden name "Aiello" comes from Joey's grandfather and family patriarch, John Aiello, who is Joey's most loved mentor and hero.

Joey is the namesake of his biological father Joseph Chiarmonte and uncle Salvatore Chiarmonte, who are descendants from the Sicilian side of the family. Some of the Chiarmontes immigrated to the United States, while others remained in the small Sicilian village Termini, just outside of Palermo. Joey is 100% Italian-American and is very proud of his heritage. In fact, he credits his Sicilian bloodline as largely responsible for his resilient and tenacious spirit both in and out of the ring.

Joey's mother and biological father separated when he was very young. A few years later, Joey's mother remarried a doctor with whom she worked at the hospital. Sometime thereafter, Joey Salvatore Chiarmonte became Joey Salvatore Gilbert, proudly taking the surname of his stepfather Dr. Warren S. Gilbert M.D. As a small boy, Joey moved West with his family to Reno, Nevada, but he never lost his connection to Chicago or to his large Italian family in the city of broad shoulders. Joey's family is the most important thing in the world to him. And, although Joey is currently one of America's most eligible bachelors, he greatly looks forward to a family of his own in the future.

Watching Joey as a youth in Reno, one would have never guessed that he would someday be a three-time National Champion, four-time All-American, college graduate, law school graduate, sport's commentator, television personality, businessman, lawyer and outstanding professional fighter. To the contrary, many people thought Joey would never succeed at anything.

Growing up in Reno, Joey attended Bishop Manogue Catholic High School. Friends and former teachers remember a rambunctious kid with limitless energy who would never sit still in class. He certainly had a mischievous streak, but he was well liked because of his warm heart and his desire to help people. Nevertheless, few people believed that the little sarcastic kid, who was always talking about his dreams and big plans, would ever amount to much. In fact, many wondered if he would even graduate from high school. Much to their amazement, he did graduate and then applied to the University of Nevada, Reno.

COLLEGE & BOXING
By the time Joey stepped on the university campus as a freshman, he had grown to 5-foot-11. However, he was still a skinny kid. He pledged the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity his freshman year and became one of the leading pranksters around the fraternity house. Joey was very active in the Nevada Alpha chapter of the SAE fraternity and he participated in numerous other on-campus activities, including student government. Still, many thought he would never graduate. Undaunted by what other people thought of him, Joey maintained his dream of achieving great things. He just hadn't figured out what those things were yet.

Looking for a positive outlet for his inexhaustible energies, and a way to help him develop more self-discipline, Joey decided to take up the sport of boxing. He had heard through a friend that the University of Nevada had a boxing team. In typical Joey Gilbert fashion, he showed up at the Nevada Boxing Gym one night and announced to the coaches that he was there to join the team. He did not tell his family or friends of his plan to start boxing competitively. He wanted to prove himself first, because he knew they would all roll their eyes and wonder how someone who had never been in a fight in his life was going to suddenly become a boxer. However, Joey was determined. During his first month of training, Joey realized he had found his passion and he dedicated himself to boxing with intensity unmatched by other young boxers.

Joey trained at every opportunity and rapidly developed his boxing skills. The Nevada coaches were immediately impressed with Joey's potential and he didn't let them down. He won his first fight of the season and he kept on winning fight after fight. However, he still kept his nascent boxing career a secret from friends and family.

Joey's hard work in the gym and the guidance of three dedicated Nevada coaches, Mike Martino, Greg Rice, and Pat Schellin paid off. By the end of the season, Joey was undefeated and had won the first of his four Regional Championships. Unfortunately, however, the success did not come without a price. He broke his nose in the championship bout. His doctor advised him that he needed surgery and that he should not attempt to fight in the National Championships. What is more, Joey didn't know how he was going to explain his broken nose to his parents. The local newspapers covered the fight and published a story about Joey's success. The secret was out and Joey's family heard about his boxing and recent victory in the Regional Championships.

Joey had trained hard and succeeded, but it appeared that ultimate success would not be his because of the injury. Then, as often is the case in life, something happened that put everything in perspective. On April 2, 1996, one of Joey's best friends, Donald Joseph Benardis (D.J.) was killed in a tragic car accident. D.J. was returning from school when he was hit by an alcohol-impaired driver whose BAC level was marginally under the Nevada legal limit of .10. D.J. was just months away from graduation and was in the running for class valedictorian. He was the football team's starting quarterback. Additionally, he was not only a gifted athlete and brilliant scholar - he was one of the kindest and most honest people to ever walk this earth. He had been anxiously awaiting an acceptance letter to attend the University of Notre Dame and had received it just one day before the tragic accident that took his life. D.J.'s dream was to become a doctor. He was a pure blessing to this world and all who knew him.

The loss of his friend devastated Joey. Joey asked himself again and again, "what would D.J. do if he were here?" Joey knew that D.J. would have given it his best and fought on. Suddenly, the National Championship was important for a different reason. Joey decided to fight in spite of his injury in order to honor his friend's memory.

Struggling with the death of his friend, Joey dug deep and prepared for the National Championship. He sewed the initials "D.J.B." on his jersey and dedicated the fight to his friend. It was an emotional night and all of his family and friends attended his fight for the first time. He fought with all of his heart, but the broken nose stung with pain each time his opponent hit him. His nose began bleeding and his coaches could not stop the flow of blood. He had given everything he had, but the ring doctor stopped the fight. Since that date, Joey has never stepped into the ring without D.J.'s initials somewhere on his jersey or boxing trunks. And to this day, when Joey is faced with a difficult situation or a tough challenge, he asks himself the question: "What would D.J. do?"

Joey did not wait for the next boxing season to start training again. As soon as he was somewhat healed from the surgery to repair his broken nose, Joey was back in the gym. He kept telling himself that the next boxing season would be different. His friends and former teammates remember Joey as the inspiration of the Nevada Boxing Team. He was named team captain and was known for continuously challenging his teammates to give more and to train harder-for themselves and the team. Moreover, he always led by example. For the rest of his college days, while his friends were out drinking or going to parties, Joey was at the gym. He trained, as always, beyond the point of exhaustion.

Joey never lost another fight in collegiate boxing and he won three consecutive National Championships, and was twice named the Outstanding Boxer of the NCAA Tournament. His natural athletic prowess combined with his extraordinary work ethic and coachability enabled him to become one of the all-time greatest collegiate fighters and a true All-American Champion. More important to Joey, however, was that he had applied the discipline he learned in the gym to his studies and earned a degree in English Literature with minors in Political Science and Italian Studies. One of Joey's most cherished experiences from his undergraduate studies was the time he spent abroad in Turin, Italy. Joey spent five months in Turin learning to speak Italian. He also traveled throughout Italy and much of northern Europe.

In spite of his numerous collegiate successes, there were plenty of people in the sport who said that Joey could not make the jump to Golden Gloves, which is the toughest and most prestigious class of amateur boxing in the United States. The skeptics simply did not believe that a collegiate fighter could compete with the seasoned open-class fighters. Once again, Joey proved them wrong and convincingly won the Nevada State Golden Gloves Super Middleweight Championship. He finished his amateur career with a record of 27-1.

FIGHTING PROFESSIONALLY AND STUDYING LAW
With a degree from the University of Nevada and a number of amateur championships under his belt, Joey set his sights on larger goals-to earn a law degree and become Middleweight Champion of the World. Again, there were many skeptics. They said he didn't have what it took to compete as a professional boxer. People told him that he would not have a chance against the tough inner-city fighters who had been boxing since they were kids. Other people predicted that he would not make it through his first year of law school. In addition, almost everyone, except those who really knew Joey, said he could not succeed as a professional boxer and also maintain the rigorous course of study in law school. Once again, he would prove them all wrong!

Under advisement of one of his most important and cherished mentors, world-famous boxing referee and former NCAA Boxing Champion Mills Lane, Joey made his professional boxing debut in the summer of 2000, at Harrah's Casino. To the thunderous cheers of a hometown crowd, Joey began his professional boxing career with a second-round knockout of his opponent.

A few months later, he began law school at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. During his first year of law school, Joey realized that it would be difficult to excel at his studies while maintaining a rigorous training routine and also to manage everything else necessary to promote his boxing career. Appreciating the fact that he needed some assistance, Joey set out to put together a team of highly qualified people to help him and, with an eye toward his plans of representing athletes after law school, to build a first-class professional organization. He started by asking three alumni of his fraternity to come on board, and they all gladly agreed to help him.

Sig Rogich, who is a former chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees boxing in Nevada, manages Joey. Mr. Rogich, owner and president of Rogich Communications and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, is also a former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland and advisor to Presidents Ronald Reagan and both Bushes. He has been very influential among those who serve in our nation's commerce and financial fields, as well as with domestic and international governmental leaders. In addition to serving as Joey's manager, Mr. Rogich has been a mentor and advisor to Joey and Team Gilbert in their professional endeavors.

Joey's agent, attorney, and law partner Mark Schopper, is the author of numerous books and articles. He is recognized internationally as an expert in the field of entertainment and gaming law and has a background in public and media relations.

Team Gilbert's financial advisor is Pat Conners, owner and CEO of Tetrus Building Materials, Inc., a very successful company based in Reno, NV. Mr. Conners provides financial assistance to cover much of Team Gilbert's expenses. Another invaluable addition to Team Gilbert was Joey's sister Gina Gilbert-Green. Gina is a health and fitness expert with degrees in nutrition, psychology, and kinesiology as well as virtually every certification available in her fields of expertise. Gina plans Joey's diet, and routinely adjusts his cardiovascular and endurance training regimens. Gina is also the loudest person at each of Joey's fights and her voice is recognizable over thousands of screaming fans. Last, but certainly not least is Mr. Joey ("Joe Joe") Musselman, Joey's cousin in Chicago, IL. Mr. Musselman, a junior at DePaul University, serves as Joey's Executive Assistant. Mr. Musselman helps by drawing the press away from him by creating a sideshow of his own through his mere existence. Joe Joe is commonly referred to by Joey's agent Mark as "a bull in a china shop", but he is getting better. The other invaluable members of Team Gilbert are listed on the Team Gilbert page.

With the members of Team Gilbert in place, Joey was able to balance the books and boxing. When he was not studying law, he was training for boxing. And when he was not training, he was studying. He developed a pattern of fighting during the summer and winter breaks and followed it throughout his three years of law school. Fighters need to maintain a regular fight schedule or they develop what is commonly referred to as ring rust. Not being able to fight on a regular basis, Joey had to rely on his mind in the ring. He carefully planned his fight strategies according to his opponents' strengths or weaknesses, and he was always quick to improvise when necessity so dictated. A boxing writer once described Joey as follows: "A technical fighter, Gilbert's no showboat. His main edge is his mental strength, his uncanny ability to not get rattled in the ring." In short, he fights with his mind as much as with his fists.

This skill was further honed by one of his trainers-legendary trainer of champions, Pepe Morales. In the summer of 2002, Pepe invited Joey to Mexico City to train with Pepe and alongside WBC Champion, Jose Antonio Aguirre. After one of Joey's first workouts in Mexico, Pepe told him, "You're like an unpolished stone. I will refine you and make you a gem." Joey took the words to heart and took full advantage of the opportunity to learn everything he could from the world famous trainer. Indeed, that summer in Mexico City with Pepe was pivotal to Joey's career, and he will never forget the generosity Pepe and the Mexican fighters showed him. He credits Pepe and Jose for many aspects of his boxing style.

After training with Pepe, Joey returned to the United States and continued to improve his professional record. He also graduated from law school in the top half of his class and returned to his home in Nevada. It was time to begin fighting more frequently and to pursue seriously his goal of becoming Middleweight Champion of the World.

Once again, Joey sought the very best to train him in his quest for a world title. Joey purchased a home and moved to Las Vegas to train and be closer to his manager and mentor, Sig Rogich. Joey's search for the perfect trainer ended in Las Vegas when he met Kenny Rayford, an old school teacher of the craft who believes that "the more you sweat, the less you bleed." Rayford has been developing Joey slowly by adding to his offensive repertoire, further expanding his defensive skills, and honing the accuracy of his combinations. Rayford is also responsible for Joey's excellent conditioning.

After Joey graduated from law school and he was able to start training full time again, Rayford planned for him to fight three times in one summer. He won his first two fights with quick knockouts bringing his record to 7-0, with seven knockouts.

While in New York exploring marketing opportunities with Tommy Hilfiger, tragedy struck again. Joey's beloved grandfather passed away in Chicago. As family gathered in Chicago to grieve the passing of the family patriarch, Joey finished the discussions with Tommy, satisfied a commitment to do a live phone interview with Vinny Vella from the Sopranos on the ESPN radio show, and then caught the first flight he could get to Chicago.

After the funeral, Joey flew home to Nevada and laid plans for his final fight of the summer. He would fight one more time and then take the Nevada bar exam two weeks later. Joey's father, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, would not be ringside for the first time in Joey's professional career. Because of his father's wartime service at a classified location in Afghanistan, Joey was not even certain where his father was. The summer evening was falling over Lake Tahoe as Joey's family, friends and fans began arriving at Caesar's Tahoe for the fight. All of his family had flown in from Chicago and Joey would be the "Main Event" for the first time. It would be a night in honor of his grandfather.

Joey was lying on the floor of his suite at Caesar's with a bad case of the flu. Though he was dehydrated and weak, he was determined not to let anyone down. Most importantly, he wanted to be able to send his father some positive news from back home. It was a tough fight, but Joey pulled through with a unanimous decision. Joey dedicated his victory to his grandfather, John Aiello, who died on June 9, 2004, and to his father, Dr. Warren Gilbert, who received the news of Joey's win days later in Afghanistan.

Two weeks later, Joey took the three-day Nevada Bar examination and passed. He was 8-0 as a professional fighter, a Main Event, had earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree and had a string of other victories. He had won championships and achieved everything else people said he would not. For the first time in his life, Joey was able to take a deep breath and know that he had proven himself. In the short term, only the Middleweight Championship of the World remained for him to focus on. Joey's breather did not last long, however, because in early August he got "The Call" from Sly Stallone to be on The Contender.

BUSINESSMAN, ATTORNEY, SPORTS COMMENTATOR, AND MORE
His achievements in and out of the ring have brought Joey unparalleled success for an up-and-coming fighter. Joey has become a TV personality in Nevada and California, appeared in numerous television interviews, worked as a boxing commentator for Cox Communications, Action 21, providing on the fly, color commentary and play-by-play analysis. He has been a guest on the ESPN radio show a number of times, been featured in dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, and was recently featured in the bible of boxing, "The Ring" magazine. He has been offered a number of large endorsement deals and he recently appeared as a guest model for international clothing company Dsquared2 in a fashion show in Milan, Italy. And now, he is a Contender!

Outside of boxing, Joey is heavily involved with the management of his law firm Gilbert & Schopper, LLP, which he co-founded with his close friend, agent and attorney Mark Schopper. Joey also co-owns the Gilbert Consulting Group, Inc. d/b/a Gilbert Partners, a public relations firm founded by Joey and partner Mark Schopper in 2001. Gilbert Partners recently added financial expert Pat Conners to the firm. Gilbert Partners represents the interests of its clients in matters relating to public relations, governmental affairs, gaming and entertainment, and sports and music interests worldwide.

Joey's numerous interests stem from his love of a challenge and desire for action. He is truly one of America's most versatile talents-constantly entertaining opportunities in a wide variety of professional fields.

JOEY'S SUPPORTERS
Outside the ring, Joey is a warmhearted individual who loves his family, friends and fans. Joey credits all of his achievements to the support of these groups. In particular, Joey is very proud of the strong relationship that he has built with his fans. After every fight, Joey gladly stands for hours signing autographs and taking pictures with his supporters. He believes that if these people come to a fight to support him, they deserve his personal thanks and recognition whenever possible.

Joey also seeks to support others through his own experiences in life. He frequently uses his academic and boxing successes to benefit others by speaking at high schools and other public events to promote the importance of athletics and education. "Boxing has been a great influence in my life, so I really strive to be a good emissary for the sport, but I also try to emphasize to young people the importance of education and the long-term benefits it will have in their lives," says Joey.

Joey embraces the idea that he has a responsibility to be a role model for his young fans. Considering this more than just a duty to promote a respectful society, Joey wants his young fans to know the great potential inside each one of them. In his own words, Joey asks that his young fans: "Follow my lead by staying in school. I promise you that it WILL pay off big in your life. Always do your best no matter what the outcome may be. Listen to your parents and treat them with respect, even if you do not always agree with them. Pursue your dreams with all your heart because you can be and do whatever you want in life. I know this to be true. I have struggled and failed many times in my life, but I have never given up. If I can do it-so can you! It takes hard work and you have to make sacrifices, but nothing in life is free. Remember, adversity builds character and facing your own challenges in life will only make you stronger. NEVER QUIT, AND NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP!"