No one was guarding the door when I arrived at the Golden Gloves this evening. That was unusual, considering this is the week of the finals. I waltzed in, not having to show my license or pay.
Mike and JJ were already in the bleachers, chillin' out, when I got there. Steve showed up a few minutes later. Several of Steve's and Mike's friends showed up to watch the festivities, which thankfully, started on time. Mary, Loyola Park's fieldhouse supervisor, was also in attendance. JJ's fight was number eight; Mike's fight was number 11. There were 15 fights in total.
JJ, as expected, was highlighted in the Golden Gloves finals' program as a boxer to watch. He had been featured once before a few years ago. His strengths (long reach, listens to his coach) were pointed out as well as his weaknesses. I wondered if his opponent would read about the weaknesses and keep them in mind.
Mike and JJ were already in the bleachers, chillin' out, when I got there. Steve showed up a few minutes later. Several of Steve's and Mike's friends showed up to watch the festivities, which thankfully, started on time. Mary, Loyola Park's fieldhouse supervisor, was also in attendance. JJ's fight was number eight; Mike's fight was number 11. There were 15 fights in total.
JJ, as expected, was highlighted in the Golden Gloves finals' program as a boxer to watch. He had been featured once before a few years ago. His strengths (long reach, listens to his coach) were pointed out as well as his weaknesses. I wondered if his opponent would read about the weaknesses and keep them in mind.
The guy JJ fought must have taken lessons from George C., a former opponent of JJ's earlier in the Gloves. He kept grabbing and holding. Barry and Jerome were in JJ's corner, along with Steve, while I stood in some bleachers closer to the ring to take pictures. I saw where JJ tried to get in some uppercuts, but they weren't fully formed. His opponent seemed to shy away from JJ in the second round, and he stayed near the ropes. Not a good idea. The guy was leaning over, away from JJ, and did not cover himself well. JJ tested him out with several jabs, then socked him with a right. The opponent thudded to the canvas. The referee stepped in and waved his arms over the fallen boxer. It was over.
Steve was so happy, that he hoisted JJ up in the air. Jerome was outside of the ring, hopping up and down, while Barry was grinning from ear to ear. I was in the bleachers, yelling "That's right, baby! That's how you do it!" while the people closest to me looked at me like I was crazy. I ran down to the ring. A litle kid came up to JJ when he came out of the ring and asked for his autograph. JJ obliged him.
A few fights later, it was Mike's turn. I was standing near while Nick, the coach of Mike's opponent, warmed his guy up. The guy looked rugged to me. "Mike's gonna have to work with this one," I thought to myself. JJ helped Steve in the corner with Mike, and I sat in an empty seat on the front row to position myself to take photos.
There was a lot of pushing and shoving, especially on the part of Mike's opponent. The referee warned the both of them about this. The opponent was also told about holding Mike so much. Finally, I heard the ref tell the opponent, "If I have to warn you one more time, you'll lose a point!" Not long after he said that, the opponent started up again, and a point was removed. Mike worked his jab to good advantage a few times, and caught the guy up in the corner a few more. At the end of it all, Mike was awarded the win.
"This is one for the books," I told Steve afterwards. "You can put this on your resume under accomplishments." He laughed. It was an excellent night for Loyola Park Boxing Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment