Anthony Bradley enjoys a good cheesesteak from Pat’s or Geno’s and visiting the Liberty Bell — when he is home, that is.
These days, that’s a rare occurrence for the resident of South Marshall Street, who is traveling around the world to prepare the Team USA boxers for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. USA Boxing recently selected Bradley, 48, to be one of two assistant coaches for Team USA under head coach Basheer Abdullah.
In August, Bradley coached Team USA to one gold, two silvers and one bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The highlight of the trip was winning the gold medal in the super heavyweight division, a first for the Americans. Bradley also served as head coach for USA vs. Kazakhstan, a match in which the Americans defeated the 2002 World Cup champions. The coach’s achievements earned him USA Boxing’s 2003 Coach of the Year Award at last week’s annual meeting in Concord, Calif.
"God rewards you with things if you do everything that is asked of you," he said during a recent phone interview from Newport News, Va.
For now, Bradley’s task is helping up-and-coming pugilists win gold, silver and bronze for the United States. It’s a job that allows him to quickly rack up the frequent-flyer miles. This year’s travel log has included Brazil, Colombia, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine. On Nov. 22, Bradley will head to Tunica, Miss., for a boxing exhibition between the United States and Russia.
"This year, I’ve been home for maybe a month," he said.
The 1972 graduate of South Philadelphia High started his athletic career playing football and baseball for the Rams. His senior class is actually one of the few to defeat St. John Neumann on Thanksgiving Day.
Bradley went on to serve 24 years in the Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps E-8. He was based in Fort Bragg, N.C., and was part of the Panama Special Forces Unit from 1979-81. He also served in Grenada and Vietnam.
The young man who had gone to Joe Frazier’s Gym with his father decided to try the Army’s boxing circuit. The early training paid off: He won the Army middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight championships in the mid-’70s.
Bradley started mentoring other fighters in 1982 as the assistant coach for the U.S. Army and served as the head coach for the XI World Senior Amateur Boxing Championships in 2001. Bradley said becoming the head coach of the 2003 Pan American Games and assistant coach of the 2004 US Olympic Team are his two greatest career milestones.
He said training Olympic hopefuls revolves around the basics every fighter needs — discipline and conditioning.
"I like boxers to talk to people and treat people with respect," Bradley said. "I like to get fighters mentally prepared and in good physical condition, then I teach technique."
Most countries run their boxing programs much differently than USA Boxing. When the Americans head to Greece next summer, the opposing teams will likely have many of the same fighters from this year’s Pan American Games. Bradley said Cuba, for instance, could have the same boxers for six years. The United States, on the other hand, could have a completely different team than the one that competed in the Dominican Republic this summer.
"A lot of guys don’t wait around for the Olympics," noted Bradley, the father of four boys.
Take Southwest Philadelphia resident Anthony "The Messenger" Thompson. The 2001 World Championships amateur silver medallist and national champion could have represented his country next summer in the welterweight division, but decided to turn pro instead. The 22-year-old fighter is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts and is nationally rated by the World Boxing Council and North American Boxing Federation.
The members of Team USA will officially be selected in the spring during the 2004 Olympic Team Trials in Tunica and the Olympic Box-offs in Cleveland. The process will keep Bradley away from home once again.
When he gets a rare break, the coach also spends time in Virginia, where he visits his sons and looks after the home of his fianc�e, Marilynn Watts, who is stationed in Kuwait with the Army.
If Bradley ever stops traveling for his career, he said he’ll simply find another way to shape young boxers.
"I like working with kids because I can give something back to them," he said. "Maybe I’ll open a gym in South Philadelphia and work with them."
