Fists flew in Mineola this past weekend, as Mineola played host to the New York Daily News Golden Gloves, an amateur boxing tournament currently in the middle of its 89th edition.
The Knights of Columbus hosted the quarterfinals at their Jericho Turnpike location on Friday, Feb. 26. The event was also a fundraiser that raised money for the Knights of Columbus, and was sponsored by many local businesses.
Since 1923, Golden Gloves has been a right of passage for dozens of Olympians and World Champions in many different weight classes. Winning the gloves can be a big step for any boxer towards a long professional career. “The Golden Gloves is a stepping stone,” New York State Boxing Commissioner John Signorile said. “It’s our local stage. That’s where you get noticed. When you qualify for national advancing tournaments. You can’t go to nationals unless you qualify locally.”
The evening featured five bouts from two different weight classes, the 123-pound novice division and 201-pound open division.
The first fight was an evenly contested one between Jonathan Martinez and Roberto Vazquez, with Martinez coming out on top to open the evening.
Only one fight in the 201-pound division happened, and it was a heavyweight battle between Timothy Dougherty and Karam Abdullah.
For three rounds, the spirited crowd of 250 roared with each punch, as the heavier men produced harder punches than their counterparts in the lightweight division. In the end, it was Dougherty who came out on top to advance to the semifinals.
Dougherty, 29, previously competed in the Golden Gloves tournament in 2012 and 2013. He is back now after taking a couple years off from the sport, and he is thrilled to be where he is.
“I’m just grateful that I’m healthy and able to compete in a brutal sport, a combat sport like boxing,” Dougherty said. “Not many people can do that and I’m blessed to be able to do that.”
After earning two silver medals in those previous bouts, Dougherty now has his mind set on one thing.
“That’s a great accomplishment,” he said of the silver. “But I really want gold. I have my heart set on gold.”
Following the veteran slugfest, Golden Gloves rookie Jonathan Pellot got the win over Rafael Gonzalez. Pellot, 18, is competing in his first Golden Gloves, a tournament he said he has been training a long time for.
“A lot of people were telling me I should go for the gloves this year, and I decided I felt ready so I might as well do it,” Pellot said.
Like Dougherty, Pellot has his mind set on one thing.
“I just want to take it all the way,” he said. “I have tunnel vision that I want to get these gloves.”
In a couple more evenly contested fights, Brawerd Tax defeated Omar Alonso and Jonibek Khotamov downed Elmy Marrero in the last bout of the evening. A sixth fight was scheduled, but one of the fighters was a no-show, giving Efrain Rodriguez a win by default.
“I thought the fights were exciting,” Golden Gloves director Brian Adams said. “The heavyweight matchup really brought life to the building. We had a very enthusiastic crowd.”
The Knights of Columbus reached out last year to Golden Gloves, asking to host the tournament this year. After much planning, the Knights of Columbus got their wish. The venue was full to capacity, with some spectators standing in the back to get a good view of action.
“Long Island is one of the areas where we don’t do a lot of boxing shows,” Adams said. “I would like to do more on Long Island. Long Island is a big boxing community.”
This year, 600 people signed up to participate in the tournament. Adams is hoping that number will only grow in the future.
“I think having the Golden Gloves in places like Mineola will bring more boxers into the tournament,” Adams said. “The more people who can see and feel the tournament, it would encourage them to sign up.”
The finals of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in April.
