NJ Golden Gloves finals to be hosted at Bloomfield High School
The finals of the 86th New Jersey Golden Gloves tournament will be hosted at Bloomfield High School on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23.
The tournament, which begins on March 1, will run on ten dates through the month of March, with the coveted championship necklaces at stake.
Yessenia Montalvo, a resident of Bloomfield, N.J. and founder of the non-profit Legacy Youth Empowerment Organization, is organizing the finals after two years of them being held in North Bergen following the COVID-19 pandemic.
She hopes the tournament will encourage more young people, particularly girls, to take an interest in the sport. Last year, none of the female open class boxers could find a matchup, leading to walkover champions.
“I’m thrilled to be hosting the finals this year,” said Montalvo, a retired Newark police detective and owner of Legacy Boxing Club in Wayne, N.J.
“Boxing is more than just ‘fighting.’ Time is spent on fundamentals, footwork drills, strength and conditioning to build endurance, speed, and agility for conditioning, hand-eye coordination, and partner drills to build a well-rounded boxer. Boxing teaches you a new way to cope with stress and mental health issues and life skills such as confidence, patience, discipline, and self-control.”
Montalvo wears many hats in amateur boxing, as the incoming Secretary for New Jersey’s USA Boxing LBC, plus a silver level boxing coach, a level 2 official and a USA Boxing referee with over 15 years of experience. She has made a concerted effort to promote women’s boxing in New Jersey, including hosting women’s only sparring events on Sundays. She believes there is a lot of room for growth in the state for women’s boxing.
“We need more girls to start competing in NJ. USA Boxing lifted its ban on women’s boxing in 1993, so we have a lot of catching up to do. I promote amateur boxing to girls and women of all ages. Women and girls should not be afraid to walk into a boxing gym, they should be welcomed.” Montalvo says.
Montalvo’s efforts received a boost when she was granted funding from the Better Fight Fellowship for her latest initiative, the Pretty Strong Project-Girls and Women’s Boxing Program, which will provide scholarships to girls who want to learn how to box. She also runs a youth boxing program, which she intends to fund with proceeds from the Golden Gloves tournament.
The finals will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 12 p.m. on Sunday. General admission tickets are priced at $24, while ringside seats are $45 each. Kids under 14 can get in at $10 a piece. Tickets for the Friday show and Saturday show can be purchased in advance at the corresponding links.
The tournament will open on March 1 and March 2 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in East Brunswick, with the remaining preliminary dates (March 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17) to be held at True Warriors Boxing in Paterson.
Open class champions will advance to the Golden Gloves of America National Tournament of Champions, which will take place from May 12-18 in Detroit, Mich.
Team New Jersey had a strong showing at last year’s National Golden Gloves, with Malachi Georges winning the 203-pound gold medal, and Jean Pierre Valencia and Tyric Trapp bringing home the bronze at 165 pounds and 176 pounds, respectively.