North Carolina Golden Gloves
NORTH CAROLINA GOLDEN GLOVES COULD BE OLYMPIC PATH
March 4-5th at the Sugar Creek Recreation Center
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The North Carolina Golden Gloves, scheduled here March 4-5, could be the first step for a spot in 2012 Olympics in London.
USA Boxing, the governing body for Olympic selection, has selected the Golden Gloves as a qualifier for the Olympic training box-offs in Colorado Springs.
The Golden Gloves tournament here has become very popular again, selling out last year both nights at the Sugar Creek Recreation Center on Sugar Creek Rd. between I-85 and North Tryon Street.
According to Al Simpson, president of USA Boxing Southeast, more than 250 boxers from the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee will enter. About 30 will be female since this is the first Olympics in history that will have female boxing.
"This will be the absolute best boxing talent to come to Charlotte since the fifties owing much to the fact that a young man or woman can win here and eventually advance to the Olympics," Simpson, who has been an assistant coach at two Olympics and a long time Fort Bragg boxing coach.
There will be constant action every night because the bouts will be three rounds. Weight divisions
will range from flyweight, 108 pounds, to super heavyweight, over 215 pounds.
Teams entered include military like the vaunted Ft. Bragg team, considered the world's best military team, Camp Lejeune Marines as well as home town teams from Wilmington, Charleston, Columbia, Rockingham, Greensboro and North Augusta to mention a few. The highly regarded Charlotte Boxing Academy will be represented by about 20 boxers.
Previous competitors in this tournament included the Spinks Brothers, Leon and Michael; Olympians Bernard Taylor and Calvin Brock of Charlotte; world bantamweight champion Kelvin Seabrooks; national bantamweight champion Pappy Gault of Spartanburg; USA WBA champion Billy Bridges of Lincolnton; the legendary brother team of Billy and Raymond Short of Charlotte; world heavyweight ranked Neil Wallace of Charlotte; national collegiate champion Gunner Oliphant of Charleston, S.C.; and Navy champion Glen Ivey.
Tickets will be kept at $10. For further information call 704-241-0314.
Wanda Goddard-Baird
The Wheeler Company
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704-575-5224
