Quentin Blue Horse has taken many wrong turns in the path of life and now he's trying to help keep fellow Native American youths and other young boxers from going down that same road.
The 30-year-old Blue Horse, a member of the Rosebud (S.D.) Sioux tribe now living on the Dresslerville Indian Reservation, in conjunction with Let's Get it On Promotions, the Native TANF and the Dresslerville Community Council, will sponsor a 10-bout card featuring four amateur boxing clubs Friday at 7 p.m.
"The Battle in the Gymnasium," featuring Blue Horse's own club, The War Party, along with Rite of Passage (Yerington) and Concord (Calif.) boxing clubs, will be held at the Dresslerville Community Gymnasium, at 1585 Main River, in Dresslerville.
For Blue Horse, fighting has been a way of life. Unfortunately for him, it was done outside of the ring and led to him doing time in several prisons, including Nevada State Prison, Northern Nevada Correctional Facility and High Desert State Prison (in Las Vegas), among others.
"I spent a lot of time in the juvenile system and enough time in prison," said Blue Horse, who was born in Schurz. "(The goal) is to keep the kids from making the same mistakes I already made. As a kid, all the older guys were involved in boxing. It was never competing, it was being involved in fights, getting in trouble, getting kicked out of school and going to jail for fighting; going to gladiator school - prison - for fighting."
There are many forms of trouble on the reservation, but one in particular has reached epidemic proportions.
"The biggest challenge out there has ruined a lot of lives for Natives: It's alcohol addiction," said Blue Horse, who trained under Chucko Williams at Carson City Boxing Club before getting his coach's certificate and starting The War Party three months ago. "A lot of the reason I got in trouble came from drinking. A lot of great fighters couldn't get as far as they could because of alcohol.
"In boxing you have no time to get in trouble and you can't afford to be out and partying. To win you have to take care of yourself and have five days a week of training."
Both of Blue Horse's fighters will be on the card. Dresslerville's Decee Simpson will face Jeremy Blue (ROP) in the 165-pound main event and light heavyweight (178 pounds) Vinnie Reymus, also of Dresslerville, will meet Philip Goodlow (ROP) in the co-main event.
Reymus is the son of the late Clinton Reymus, a rugged Reno middleweight who boxed professionally from 1984-86.
Blue Horse said he started his club to keep Simpson - formerly of Carson City Boxing Club - active and because the round trip to Carson was too much. He later added Reymus and the trio used to hit the mitts in Blue Horse's kitchen and dining room before moving the training into his garage.
"It keeps the kids out of trouble," Blue Horse said of his program. "It's healthy and gives them something positive to do. I look forward to working with the two guys I have on a daily basis. They enjoy it. They're happy to be competing.
"We're slowly building up our equipment. I know more kids are interested. I want to get a bigger place with more equipment and take on more kids."
Blue Horse will have some help in this show from another pair of Native Americans - McDermitt's Derek and Tyler Hinkey. Super middleweight Derek, now 2-0 with 2 knockouts as a professional, and heavyweight Tyler, who will make his pro debut July 6, have been signed by Let's Get It On Promotions and will be in attendance.
The brothers will be on the undercard of "Heavy Hands," the first card that Terry and Tommy Lane - sons of former Reno promoter, referee, judge and district attorney Mills Lane - have promoted.
The Hinkeys will present to the winners of a drawing two pairs of free tickets to "Heavy Hands."
"Tyler and Derek are great guys and great role models for Native American youth," said Blue Horse, who has helped out Reno middleweight/promoter Joey Gilbert as a consultant and with media marketing and is the media marketing coordinator for the Lanes for the July 6 card. "They are more than happy to come out and see the kids and help them. Derek and Tyler are always there to help boxers on anything they need to improve on and to give them advice."
Blue Horse, who also introduced Carson City lightweight Mike Peralta to noted manager Jackie Kallen and is expected to help former longtime Reno trainer/promoter Moe Smith (who used to train Clinton Reymus) to bring more boxing to Reno, said "The Battle in the Gymnasium" will hopefully be just one of many cards as his club continues to grow.
Admission is $10 per person and $5 for those 12 and under. The doors open at 6 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7.
