Pasadena Boxing Club hosts weekend event
Before the littlest warriors donned their costumes for a night of Trick-or-Treating, they bravely faced their foes in the ring at the Pasadena Boxing Club’s weekend show at the Villa Parke Community Center in Pasadena, California.
This USA-sanctioned amateur boxing show featured both male and female fighters from ages 10-27. The combatants showed no fear of ghosts or goblins as they traded leather in three minute rounds ranging from one to two minutes depending on their bout experience. Main trainer Fausto De La Torre and the City of Pasadena treated the packed crowd to 16 matchups.
Clubs from all over the Southland came out to represent in the ring. Boxers from Wild Card, Oxnard PAL, Lion Power, Durango, LAYAC, Burbank Boxing Club, Fist of Gold, Pacoima and more all battled for the coveted first-place trophy and one more win in their passbook.
Victory at this Halloween show was an added bonus for those heading into the Silver Gloves Tournament to be held later this week in South El Monte.
The amateur circuit brings out the usual familiar faces that I see around town. One smiling mug at the show was Wild Card’s Shane Langford. The boxing sprite is a mainstay at Freddie Roach’s gym and has also gained his own following through HBO’s “24/7” series. In breaks in the action, fans even went up to Langford to meet him and get autographs from the new TV star!
And the fight fans did turn out en masse for this show as it was standing room only. USA Boxing’s Dick Jones happily told me that the sport is thriving. He said registration has seen a boost in the last month, as I observed him tend to a thick stack of new applications filled out by fighters and trainers.
A great career in youth boxing leads to Olympic dreams and hopefully a successful pro career, so these kids always really give it their all inside the ropes. And this past Saturday afternoon was no different as each little slugger showed off their skills, and more importantly showed their heart and courage as their family, friends and gym mates cheered them on.
We also have to remember that most who fought are children and after their bouts, they went back to being a kid! After turning in their gloves and talking about future strategies, the talk then quickly turned to their evening plans celebrating Halloween.
For those whose hands weren’t raised, another chance is just around the corner since there are many amateur boxing shows frequenting Southern California.
If you haven’t ever experienced amateur boxing, check it out sometime. The dedication of these young boxers could surprise you and their moves in the ring might also impress you!
See you at the fights.
Photos by Michele Chong