The NJ Boxing Hall of Fame has voted Shawn Darling as “Coach of the Year.”
Darling learned his trade from International Boxing Hall of Famer Matthew Saad Muhammad. In addition to learning from Muhammad, Darling was always studying the training methods some of the best boxing minds on the East Coast.
They included: Bill Johnson, Don Givens, Walli Moses, Shaun George and Denny Brown. Darling was also fortunate to be in the company of many of New Jersey’s best fighters such as Kevin Johnson, Bobby Czyz, Bruce Seldon, John Brown, Shamone Alvarez, Prince Badi Ajumu.
Shawn has also had great success coaching and managing numerous Jersey Shore professionals with the most recent being Chris “Sandman” Thomas, “Quick” Nick Valliere, “The Brawler” Dan Pasciolla & Hafiz “Big Dawg” Montgomery.
“Shawn has been one of our top coaches for years,” said Henry Hascup, president of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. “He not only teaches young boxers how to box, nut he also acts like a father figure to many of them, which is far more important. He prepares them for adulthood, on how to conduct themselves even when the decision does not go their way.”
Darling opened his Gladiator Boxing Gym in 2005 in Forked River, New Jersey where such fighters as Bryant Jennings, Derric Rossy, Jesse Hart, Sonny Conto, Zhang Zhilei and Peter Quillin have sparred in the gym.