Young Champs at the Silver Gloves

The best of the best advance to National Tournament

“Kansas City, here we come!” was the theme song for the first-place champs at this weekend’s 27th Annual Silver Gloves Regional Tournament held in Norwalk, California. For the young amateur boxers that fought for that first-place finish, the prize was a trip to Kansas City, where they will then travel on to Independence, Missouri for the National Championships.

From Thursday to Sunday, fighters from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada all came out to Southern Cal for this prestigious USA Boxing competition hosted by Joe Zanders. Not only vying for state pride, their main goal was earning a spot on the Regional Team that advances to the finals. As the brackets were whittled away, the cream of the crop rose up to form the West Coast team headed for the finals.

At Saturday’s semi-finals, the gym was packed with all the families, friends and supporters of the participants. Watching on was a lively crowd at this year’s Silver Gloves. When the first-place medals and trophies were announced, you could hear the out-of-state visitors cheering whenever their boxers won.

Fighting two-minute rounds in protective headgear and jerseys, the officials used a liberal amount of standing eight counts whenever a challenger entered into the slightest bit of trouble. Matched up in age, weight and experience level, the state rivals erupted in flurries of punches to score those bout-winning blows in front of the judges.

Throughout the event, I met so many dedicated individuals of the sport.

For casual boxing fans, the marquee “big money” matchups are usually what only gets their attention. But for loyal followers of amateur boxing, they appreciate the hard work, blood, sweat and tears of the littlest sluggers. There isn’t much glitz or glamour in these sweaty gym locations. But the kids, ages 10-15, in the Silver Gloves classic ARE the future of boxing. They will spend years honing their craft, traveling to shows, competing in tournaments in hopes of going to the Olympics and the pros.

To inspire the youngsters, former National Silver Gloves 2006-2007 Champ Xavier Montelongo Jr. was also introduced in the ring to hand out medals. The 17-year-old from L.A. is a highly-decorated amateur whose aim is the 2012 Olympic Games.

And as a Cali resident, I am happy to report that our Golden State has many other future prospects growing in abundance.

I’ve literally watched a lot of the child combatants grow up, as they continue to get taller and taller and better and better in the ring!

One of the youngest competitors in the junior division was the tough Frank Pena from nearby South El Monte. He may fight in the 55-pound category, but this little slugger packs a punch. He and his coach were happy with the win and already thinking ahead to the next bout. After making weight and finishing his fights, the boxer was able to enjoy a celebratory hot dog meal with all the dressings.

Eleven-year-old Ryan Garcia is a repeat winner at many of the local shows and tournaments. “I’m going to Kansas City!” he told me with excitement. “I think it’s gonna be really, really cold there but I can’t wait!” The boy then told me all about his three rounds on the canvas, with an animated description of how he beat his adversary. He is trained by Bernabe “Bam Bam” Jimenez, who also worked with WBC Super Bantam champ Paul Banke.

Ryan is part of a boxing family; his little brother Sean also competes and his parents, Henry and Lisa, are two of the hard-working officials you’ll see on the circuit. I’ve seen the talented Ryan at various local shows. Keep your eye on this tiny dynamo as he continues to gain notice and rack up championships!

A second Garcia family I met made quite an impression on me. “Team Garcia” is made up five boxing brothers and two sisters! Siblings Rudy, Joseph, Alen, Andrew, Anthony, Krystal and Janet, spanning from 8-13 years old, and their parents were looking forward to Joseph competing in Sunday’s finals. During a break in the action, I caught up with them outside of the gym.

The family, from the SoCal area, and I chatted while I talked to four of the boxing boys. The children, who were all dressed out in sharp red and black outfits and matching Mohawks, told me how much they loved to box. “Your kids are so well behaved,” I remarked to their mother, Karen who gave me a knowing laugh.

Heading back into the gym, I ran into a little titlist from Honolulu. Logan, age 10, and his father, George Yoon, were with a mutual friend, L.A. local Ronnie Sandate. Logan, a tough 70-pounder who is the 2008-2009 Hawaii State Champ and 2009 Ringside Champ was enjoying his trip out to the Mainland. His father says he hopes that in the future Hawaii can be included in future Silver Gloves Region VIII tournaments. The visitors from the islands were having a great time in our state and we’re hoping to stop by Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym.

Back inside the tournament zone, I watched the athletes battle it out in pursuit of their dreams.

Those adolescent dreams are what fuels their drive.

One coach I spoke with during the weekend is living the dream. Jeff Byrd, from Colorado, brought out a team from the Mountain State. His own son, Louie, is a 19-year-old top-ranked amateur with hopes of making it to the 2012 Olympics. Louie is a 2008-2009 Golden Gloves Champ and an international champion too. “Dreams can come true if you work hard enough,” Jeff says as we watch some female pugilists in the ring. “Dream big, stay focused.”

Byrd and I talk about the status of amateur boxing. Saying he wishes the media and public would lend more support to the sport, the trainer says amateur boxing doesn’t get as much respect and attention as it should. In his home state, he thinks the attention is given only when it’s a negative slant on boxing. “They don’t capitalize on the positive stuff so much,” he explains. “I guess the negative stuff is what sells.”

We continue to watch the competitors in the squared circle. The trainer careful observes the youthful combatants. “Great jab” he notes about one contestant. “Lead with speed, follow with power,” he states as we catch some more action. In this atmosphere–while there’s always a sense of rivalry–there’s also a strong camaraderie built as they all movevup through the ranks.

The same fighters, the same trainers and the same boxing clubs are frequently on the exact same course. So through the years, they really get to know each other in the process and during the journey. Byrd jokes around with other state coaches that he first met years ago at trainers’ camps with USA Boxing.

And whether or not it’s the Blue Corner or the Red Corner whose hand is raised in victory, it can be a valuable learning experience for the boys and girls who compete.

The Silver Gloves is a three-day tournament made up of countless volunteers who worked long hours–only to get up early and do it all over again.

Ray Chavez is just one man who continues to lend support and guidance to young, amateur boxers. At this year’s Regionals, Ray helped out alongside former pro fighter Joey Oliva. A new member of USA Boxing officials, Chavez was great with the youngsters while he patiently double-checked their gloves.

A cousin of pro fighter and L.A. trainer Fabela Chavez, Ray has been in the fight game for decades. The Fabela Chavez Boxing Club is legendary in L.A. and Ray knows amateur boxing very well. He trained many amateurs and also worked with pro fighter Alan Santana. His own son Michael was an amateur standout. In an era where Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley were dominating the amateur world, Michael knew them all and (while younger than them) still sparred with many of these L.A. amateurs who went on to be superstars in the sport.

Former pro heavyweight Stan Ward, trainer of female pro fighter, Jennifer “The Razor” Barber, is another trainer of several promising amateur boxers. And in case you forget his chosen profession–and lifelong passion–Ward wears a cap that simply states “Coach.” At the weekend show, he came out to cheer on Leslie Saldana, 15. The teen won her bout and it proved to be a double celebration for Ward, whose birthday was that night too.

As the tiny opponents jab and defend their way to a championship, plenty of proud parents were also there lending support. In the Silver Gloves, it’s the best of the very best competing, so you can imagine that most of the fighters already have a room full of trophies, drawers full of medals and bulging scrapbooks chronicling their path to glory.

Some parents want to save every memento of each win, even saving their championship hand wraps–a souvenir of another stepping stone to success. “Spray them…they’ll start to smell!” advises one mom to another, as the proud mother shows us her son’s winning wraps she plans on keeping. Perhaps she’ll bring them out again when her son is a successful pro champion.

Check out these photos of these hardworking little warriors…Someday you will see them on the grander stages of boxing!

Congratulations to all the Silver Glove participants.

Photos by Michele Chong