23.04.07 – By Keith Marder, CSTV – David Schacter has a chance to do something no other boxer in the storied history of the University of Nevada has ever done – win four consecutive national championships. For those of you scoring at home, four is the most championships an athlete can earn in a college career..
Schacter, a junior, won his third consecutive 132-pound title Saturday night at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in the 2007 BFGoodrich National Collegiate Boxing Championships, which is a part of the CSTV Collegiate Nationals.
“No one has ever won four times here,” Schacter said. “That would put me one up on everyone.”
Including Joey Gilbert, Nevada graduate and current professional champion, who was the color commentator on the CSTV telecast. Gilbert, though, couldn’t be happier for Schacter.
“No one deserves it more than he does’ Gilbert said. “He works hard. He is so determined and always trying to get better. Nobody’s better.”
Schacter defeated Nathan Wong of rival UNLV on Saturday, raising his record to 5-0 vs. Wong, an opponent with a six-inch height and significant reach advantage.
“We have spent 45 minutes in the ring together,” Schacter said. “It didn’t feel that he touched me that much.”
However, Schacter did something he never did in the fighter’s previous four meetings. With a push/slash punch, Schacter knocked Wong clear of of the ring, through the ropes and onto press row. Like a professional wrestler, Wong climbed back in the ring and continued the bout.
“He climbed back in the ring,” Schacter said. “You’ve got to give him credit for that.”
Even after his bout, Schacter could be seen cheering for 147-pound teammate Thomas Gennaro and congratulating Nevada’s 165-pound Ryan Kotey win his first championship.
Kotey defeated Chris Haley of Santa Clara, while Gennaro, a crowd favorite, was upset by Todd Gaylord of Cal.
All the while, Schacter was his teammates’ most vocal supporter, while in a crouched boxing position, fists clenched.
Schacter is an international business major who studies abroad every fall semester and returns to Reno in time for the spring boxing season. So far he has traveled to Costa Rica and Thailand. Next year, China may be in the cards or a Spanish-speaking country to help Schacter complete language requirements.
While he does not do traditional boxing training overseas, Schacter has found time to stay fit while in foreign lands. In Costa Rica, he surfed. In Thailand, he studied Muay Thai, a martial art that emphasizes the use of the hands, shins, elbows and knees. He does road work and swims.
“He goes on the hero’s journey to seek more knowledge,” Gilbert said. ”I like that he goes to places like Thailand and still works out.”
While the overseas travel will be valuable as Schacter joins the work force, the champion also feels that his boxing career will serve him well.
“Nevada is a ‘who you know’ state,” he said. “Wining the national title will go a along way for my future. The CSTV television cameras and the crowd really make the event special. People recognize me on campus.”