Stankie Suspension Still Stands After Hearing

Al Stankie, who guided Paul Gonzales to an Olympic gold medal in 1984 and hopes to do the same next year with East Los Angeles amateur Oscar de la Hoya, remains suspended by amateur boxing’s governing body.

Stankie’s appeal was denied at a hearing in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday. The San Pedro trainer was suspended for three years by the USA Amateur Boxing Federation a year ago when he was charged with being drunk while on the grounds of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs during the U.S. Amateur Championships.

It was his second appeal. He also was turned down last September. USA/ABF Executive Director Jim Fox said Friday that Stankie can appeal again before the organization’s board of directors at a July meeting in Los Angeles.

The suspension runs into 1993, meaning Stankie would be forbidden to train De la Hoya, 18, during his preparations to make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

De la Hoya, a lightweight, is considered by many in amateur boxing to be the best U.S. amateur boxer.

There has been speculation that Stankie’s suspension might cause De la Hoya to turn professional.

“No, Oscar wants to box in the Olympics very much; he’ll just have to find another trainer,” Joel de la Hoya, the boxer’s father, said Friday.

Stankie has supervised De la Hoya’s workouts regularly at Resurrection Gym in East Los Angeles the past year while on suspension. Tonight, De la Hoya will fight in the championship round of the U.S. Amateur Championships.

“Al knows the rules. He knows suspended means he’s out of the program,” Fox said. “But he also knows we’re not policemen, that we’re not going to be looking in the gym every day.”