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State Athletics Executive Director Receives High Honor from Nation’s Boxing Writers

July 09, 2019 10:00 AM
By: Kaitlin Murphy, Deputy Press Secretary

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For 29 years, Greg Sirb has served as executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletics Commission, which regulates boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and kickboxing throughout the commonwealth.

He was recently honored for his long tenure at the Department of State and for his reputation among the national boxing community.

He was named the 2019 recipient of the prestigious James A. Farley Award for Honesty and Integrity at the 94th annual Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) awards dinner.

The James A. Farley Award is the BWAA's highest honor and is given to an individual who exhibits honesty and integrity in the sport of boxing.

BWAA president Joseph Santoliquito nominated Sirb for this year's award. He considers Sirb "the best state commissioner in the country. He's consistent. A stickler for the rules. Whether people like it or not, he doesn't bend. He's one of the fairest guys that's out there."

A native of Sharon, PA, Sirb has been involved in the boxing world for most of his life. He is a former amateur boxer and passionate boxing fan. He served as president and vice president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports.

Over the years, he has worked tirelessly with boxers and associated organizations to ensure the compliance and safety of the athletes.

Sirb was instrumental in bringing high-profile national and international boxing matches to Pennsylvania. These matches include Olympic boxing trial qualifiers and the historic boxing event "Duelo del Siglo" (Duel of the Century), in which American and Cuban amateur boxers sparred on the Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh.

Under Sirb's leadership, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has been consistently named one of the top five state athletic commissions in the country.

In 2018, the commission regulated 37 pro boxing events and 24 mixed martial arts (MMA) events and sanctioned a record 11 televised events. The commission licenses more than 400 boxers and 500 professional and amateur mixed martial artists as well as athlete agents who do business in the commonwealth.

Congratulations to Greg Sirb for receiving this incredible honor and thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for the sport of boxing. As PhillyBoxingHistory.com recently wrote, Sirb is "legendary."

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