Ridgewood teen’s victory a family affair

His father won the 132-pound novice division in 1985 and his uncle lost in the 1986 finals, so naturally Randy Truinfel had to be a part of The Daily News Golden Gloves.
Luckily, the 17-year-old Ridgewood resident followed in his father’s footsteps by defeating Mikkel Les Pierre of Brooklyn in the final of the 141-pound novice division on Thursday, April 19. After a sluggish start, Truinfel found his rhythm in the second round, landing a straight right hand and a left-right combination before dominating the third and final stanza with an assortment of quick punches.
“He’s the second coming,” Federico Truinfel boasted.
After the final decision was announced, and Truinfel’s right arm was raised in the middle of the ring inside the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, tears of joy trickled down his cheek as he walked back to his corner. “It’s a man’s sport, but it makes you cry,” his uncle and trainer, Themis Truinfel, said. “Today, he won it for me.”
“It’s just something inside you that comes out,” Truinfel said, explaining his joyous reaction. “It’s just beautiful. I don’t even know what to say.”
Truinfel first began to box at the age of eight, but didn’t know what to think of the sweet science. “I was a little confused,” he said. “I didn’t know I liked it.”
The Grover Cleveland High School junior didn’t stick with it at the time, but got involved again two years ago, joining the Brotherhood Boxing Club, and hasn’t left the ring since. “I realized it was what I wanted to do,” he said.