by Cameron Pleasant
Lowell is currently playing host to the best young boxers in New England, as the city hosts its 77th annual Golden Gloves Tournament.
Crowds lined up outside the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, February 7, for the Top-Central New England Finals matches, the last of the Top-Central matches before the transition to All-New England matches.
“Mix up the high and low,” “stay off the back of your feet,” said a couple of nearby attendees. The fans of Lowell truly know their boxing.
The tournament is a great event for the youth who participate each year.
Some of the most famous boxers in history started their journey at the Golden Gloves, including Micky Ward, Muhammed Ali, and Mike Tyson. Ward is a regular attendee of the modern day Golden Gloves tournaments, and he was present at this year’s event as well.
Bob Russo is the executive director of the New England Golden Gloves. Russo is in his 15th year as the executive director of the tournament, previously serving as an alternative director for one year.
“This tournament is a great youth program. The main thing is that this is a great winter tradition in Lowell. Fun thing to do, a lot of people involved, huge fans.” Russo said
Russo also alluded to the fact that tickets have been within families for many years.
“I know people who have had tickets for generations. Family tradition, everyone is happy to be there.” he said.
The city of Lowell has happily embraced the Golden Gloves tournament for 77 years, and they will continue to as long as it runs.
A great guest at the tournament and well renowned national anthem performer, Alan St. Louis kicked it off with a great showing of our nation’s colors.
“This is my third performance here at the Golden Gloves,” St. Louis said. “I do not typically leave New England,” he added.
Alan St. Louis holds records starting from 2012 until present for most national anthem performances across New England, including most in one year in 2016 with 500 total performances, as well as most performances in one day totaling 25 performances in just 24 hours. St. Louis enjoys the Golden Gloves tournament and believes it is a great opportunity for the young competitors.
For the actual competitors themselves, elite levels of preparation, such as diet, strict workout and sleep schedules, are required to even think about competing at the highest of levels.
A current track athlete at Youngstown State University, Jack Vecellio, is a former boxer. He was a member at the Central City Boxing and Barbell Gym in Springfield Massachusetts. Although Vecellio himself did not compete in this tournament, he has trained for three and a half years and learned a lot about the competitive nature of boxing as a whole.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned from boxing is that you never judge a book by its cover.” Vecellio said. “I have learned this lesson the hard way when I had less experience and I would underestimate an opponent and they would catch me off guard. I learned the mentality to treat every fight like I’m fighting my hardest opponent.”
Matches run through March 7.
(Cameron Pleasant is a student at Endicott College studying journalism)
