MIDDLETOWN: SATURDAY NIGHT WITH PUNCH
Fighters squared off at CBA last Saturday. This weekend, the survivors advance to the next round at the Police Athletic League facility in Middletown. (Photo by Wil Fulton. Click to enlarge)
By WIL FULTON
Two fighters, one not yet old enough to drink, dance around the center canvas of an elevated ring, gymnasium lights shining down on them as they trade uppercuts and jabs, each desperate to avoid elimination as a boisterous crowd eggs them on.
Welcome to the world of the Golden Gloves, an old-school, 85-year-old amateur boxing tournament that provided a springboard to such notable pugilists as Mike Tyson, Joe Lewis, Evander Holyfield, and a certain young fighter named Cassius Clay.
After a stop at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft last weekend, the annual New Jersey Golden Gloves tourney continues at the Middletown Township Police Athletic League facility Saturday night.