Golden Gloves Keeps Punching

[Black Star Sports]

The 82nd annual Daily News Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament began its journey at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill this week.

The tournament will traipse along the five boroughs as well as Long Island and Yonkers for the next 10 weeks.

In attendance at the launch event was ex-Golden Glove Welterweight and Middleweight Champion Emile Griffin; Middleweight Champion Iran Barkley; five-time world champion Junior "Poison" Jones; former NY Met Ron Darling; rapper Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of the legendary group RUN DMC and others.

"It’s nothing like watching all the levels of fighters from the novice class to open class to club level fighters," said David Diamante, ring announcer who announced fights for HBO, ESPN and Madison Square Garden. "You have a lot of great people here. A lot of great trainers. A lot of great champions. It’s New York Golden Gloves. It’s nothing like it."

Nearly 600 amateur boxers from different weight classes, who put in their times at their respective gyms will lace up their gloves, step into their boxing shoes and joust around the ring for the thrilling challenge - to see if they can be, what they potentially would like to be – champions.

"I like it because it’s New York City and when you look at these boxers, they come from all over society, and it’s a beautiful thing when they have a chance to be something that they’re able to be. Competitively, it’s no different from free style rapping," said Darryl McDaniels. "They want to be good at what they do and even if they have the slightest inkling that they will be great at it – it’s that desire to be the best you can be and do something with yourself."

Fighters of different ethnicities, sociological and cultural backgrounds will come to terms with their abilities as fighters and find the ultimate test of their endurance by facing one another for the indisputable bragging rights in their weight class as champions.

These fighters, if they make the cut will find themselves at the finals after 10 weeks at the WAMU Theater at Madison Square Garden on April 16th and 17th.

"What it means to me is the suspense that when you walk in and watch a fight - is that the next champion of the world might come out of this event," said Jill Diamond, Chairperson of NABF/WBC Female Division and WBCares. "It’s exciting!"