Why is there a picture of Tony Danza (of "Taxi" and "Who's The Boss" fame) here? In addition to titles on resume such as actor and teacher, Mr. Danza was once a professional boxer. He also hosted a season of the sports competition show, "The Contender".
On the way home from buying frozen dinners at the grocery store -- anything to keep from cooking -- I remembered that I planned to attend the last night of the Golden Gloves tournament. When I arrived, Barry and his wife Sari called to me. They had their daughter, Laila, with them. Nate Sr. and his son, Nate Jr. were sitting in front of us. Further down in the bleachers, I noticed Johnny -- the guy who retired from the boxing coach position at Simons Park, the one I recently interviewed for -- sitting down. Maybe that's a sign.
There were three boxers who received trophies due to walkovers -- their opponents didn't show up for whatever reason. Sari wondered why would someone wouldn't show up to fight. "This happens all the time. Sometimes there's a legitimate reason, and sometimes there isn't," I explained.
The decision giving Leonard Brady of Garfield Park a win over Matt Mannina of Leydon/Veteran's Park (senior novice 156 lbs.) was met with loud boos by the audience. Mannina did get Brady with a low blow that the referee didn't comment on, but other than that, Mannina's punches were legal and on point. Brady was stunned with an uppercut and body shot combination. Mannina was the more aggressive person throughout most of that bout, but the judges saw it Brady's way.
Shelley Kahles of FLO MMA and Jaime Jacobson of Fist Law (female senior novice 139 lbs.) had a brawl for three rounds. Jacobson was the victor in what must have been a very close decision.
I sat up and took notice when a Masters' bout took place between Ralph Vara of Chicago Boxing Club and Phil Ranstrom of Degerberg Academy. That was one of a couple of Masters' bouts that was scheduled during the finals. I saw the list a few days ago at the gym. I complained, "If I had known there were Masters' fights taking place at the Gloves, I would have got in on it!" Alan said, "They would have made you take a bunch of medical tests before you could sign up." Then realization set in that even if I could have found an opponent, diabetes and high blood pressure would have kept me out of the Gloves. It was a nice dream, though. Back to the Vara/Ranstrom match. . . Vara, 52 years old, won over 55-year-old Ranstrom.
The fight I was eager to see was between Vanessa Delgardo of Chicago Boxing Club and Hannah Easter of Go-Time Boxing (senior novice 132 lbs.). She had beat Brandy during the prelims. Delgardo came out of the corner, rushing at her opponent, but Easter was ready for her. Easter punched in-between Delgardo's wilder punches. Delgardo got backed into the corner a few times, and was pounded by Easter. The referee gave Delgardo a couple of eight counts, which is never good during a fight. In the end, Delgardo lost the championship.
I wasn't crazy about the last fight of the evening between Shawn Simpson of Chicago Fight Club and Christian Williams of Boxing 4 Boxers (open 114 lbs.). Simpson was awarded the Boxer of the Tournament award, but Simpson's behavior during that fight was out-of-pocket. Simpson pushed Williams to the canvas when they were in the corner. The referee ruled it a slip. Several spectators near me grumbled that Simpson should have been penalized, and I agreed. Simpson also shoved Williams down during another point in the fight. When Simpson won, he hugged Williams, who did not return the gesture. Sportsmanship should be followed, but in that moment, I couldn't blame Williams, who looked very disgusted.
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