As a child Skip held black belts in Taekwondo and Japanese Karate. At 12 he won several national boxing championships – 1987 Olympic Sports Festival, 1987 & 1988 National Golden Gloves and represented the U.S. in several international competitions. He turned pro in 1991 and retired 24-4-1 with 16 KO’s. Kelp formed the UNLV boxing team and produced over 20 National Collegiate Champions. In 2006 Kelp led the UNLV boxing team to a National Collegiate Title becoming the first non military academy in over 20 years to accomplish that feat.