Boxers from across New England gathered at Central City Boxing & Barbell for the start of several weeks of competition.
Amateur fighters from across New England gathered Saturday night for the start of several weeks of competing for the Western New England Golden Gloves title.
Kyshawn Chan, 20, of Danbury, Conn., began amateur boxing five years ago after joining the social media group “Friendly Boxers.” The YouTube channel, which has more than 17,000 followers, focuses on self-taught boxing.
Saturday marked Chan’s second attempt at the Western New England Golden Gloves tournament. He came up short, losing a split decision to boxes Jose Perez of Broad Brook, Connecticut.
Winners earn the opportunity to represent New England at the National Golden Gloves Tournament later this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Chan was one of 22 amateur boxers, ages 18 and older, competing for a chance to advance to the regional level.
Local boxers on the opening night included Luke Duffy of Agawam, Erryzequiel Izquierdo of Holyoke and Jaylen Cappello of Holyoke.
The boxing team from the United States Military Academy at West Point is also competing in the tournament, held at Central City Boxing & Barbell.
“West Point are kind of a wild card,” said Dean Fay, executive director and head boxing coach at Central City Boxing & Barbell. “No one has really seen the boxers fight, so we never know what to expect.”
Fay said the amateur boxing community is small, with most fighters familiar with one another or having faced each other in previous bouts. West Point is an outlier, he said, because its fighters may come from anywhere in the country and may not have competed in New England tournaments.
That unpredictability was evident in the opening bout of the evening, when Aaron Fuentes, 19, of the United States Military Academy at West Point, faced Efthimios Barkas, 20, of Stamford, Conn. Fuentes won the bout, disappointing Barkas and his team.
The over-18 tournament spans four consecutive Saturdays beginning Saturday. The junior and youth tournaments are scheduled for the first three Saturdays in February and feature competitors ages 8 to 17.
Local boxers on the Jan. 17 schedule include Wiljamor Ortiz of Indian Orchard, Ricardo Gonzalez Ortiz of Springfield, Neil Perez of Springfield, Gnopo Gnobo of Springfield, Yamdiel DelValle Figueroa of West Springfield and Irvin Sanchez of Springfield.
Related story:
Local boxers get shot at the belt in Golden Gloves tourney
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Category: General Sports
