2011 National Golden Gloves Tournament results
2011 National Golden Gloves Tournament, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 25 - April 30, 2011
After the week long festivities at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, it came down to the last 20 boxers to see who would become a 2011 National Golden Gloves Champion and also receive an invite to be a participant in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials.
The official results:
108 lbs. – Santos Vasquez (Nevada) decision win over Oscar Mojica (Texas)
114 lbs. – ‘King Louie’ Byrd (Colorado/New Mexico) decision win over Stephen Young (St. Louis)
123 lbs. – Tramaine Williams (New England) decision win over Antonio Nieves (Cleveland)
132 lbs. – Erick DeLeon (Detroit) decision win over Louis Cruz (New York Metro)
141 lbs. – Michael Reed (Washington, D.C.) decision win over George Rincon (Texas)
152 lbs. – Arturo Trujillo (Pennsylvania) decision win over Alex Martin (Chicago)
165 lbs. – Jesse Hart (Pennsylvania) decision win over Daquan Arnett (Florida). This was a rematch of their 2010 semi-final match which Hart won. Hart, a sophomore at Northern Michigan University, is the son of former middleweight contender Eugene “Cyclone” Hart and trains at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Michigan, under the tutelage of Al Mitchell.
178 lbs. – Caleb Plant (Knoxville) decision win over Jerry Odom (Washington, D.C.)
Michael Hunter (left) and "King Louie" Byrd (right) pose for a photo at this year's National Golden Gloves Tournament.
201 lbs. – Michael Hunter (Colorado/New Mexico) decision win over Robert Jekabson (Chicago). The powerful Mr. Hunter entered the contest with Jekabson after scoring four straight wins by stoppage. Jekabson managed to take Hunter the distance but couldn’t end his winning streak. Hunter was also named the winner of the Golden Boy Award which is given to the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament.
201+ lbs. – Lenroy ‘Cam’ Thompson (Kansas City) decision win over Donovan Dennis (Iowa). Thompson, 22, who trains at the Turner Boxing Club in Lenexa, Kansas also won the 2009 Golden Gloves title and the 2008 USA Boxing National Championship.
*Take note the geographical descriptors following the athlete’s name denote the boxers’ Golden Gloves franchise rather than their hometown.
For the Colorado faithful, the night belonged to Denver’s most recognizable amateur champion ‘King Louie’ Byrd for his achievement as Colorado’s first ever four-time National Golden Gloves titlist, each in a different weight class.
Lenroy ‘Cam’ Thompson from Kansas City was very impressive and should be considered an odds-on favorite to bring home a medal at the 2012 Olympics held in London, England.
Brief History of the Golden Gloves
In 1926, the Chicago Tribune sponsored a well accepted amateur boxing tournament and not to be outdone the New York Daily News followed suit in 1927 calling their tournament the Golden Gloves. The Tribune then suggested they have the New York Champions meet the Chicago Champions in the Chicago Coliseum on March 24, 1928 which started an intercity rivalry that lasted until 1961.
From their inception, up through World War II, the Chicago and New York titles were considered the elite tournaments. With the demise of the local clubs, and the introduction of television, intercity bouts became more prestigious.
The Golden Gloves soon expanded to include teams from other cities provided they were sponsored by a newspaper or radio station; 38 teams entered the first year and it became known as the Tournament of Champions. In 1934, a youngster by the name of Joe Louis from Detroit, Michigan won the 175-pound title.
By 1941, Chicago had its North, South, and West sectional champions meet and reduced them to just one team. The Chicago Tribune last sponsored the Tournament of Champions in 1963. In 1964 Stan Gallup started what today is called the “Golden Gloves of America Tournament,” with 32 national champions entered. After the 1984 tournament, the Chicago Tribune stopped their sponsorship.
The names of Chicago Tournament Champions who went on to become professionals and win a world title include: Barney Ross (1929, the first), Leo Rodak (1931 – 1933), Ezzard Charles (1939), Joey Maxim (1940), Harold Dade (1940 – 1941), Wallace Bud Smith (1949), Sonny Liston (1953), Ernie Terrell (1957), Cassius Clay (1959, 1960).
Notable Golden Gloves Champions include: Muhammad Ali, Oscar de la Hoya, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Rodolfo Gonzales, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, Sonny Liston, Joe Louis, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Michael Spinks, and Demetrius Andrade.
