The Daily News Golden Gloves

Johnny Dean was always a fan of boxing. He watched fights whenever he could and sparred in local gyms.
“I like it because there are two guys putting their skills up for show, and only one guy can walk out victorious,” he said. “It’s an exhibition at its best.”
However, he never got in the ring officially. That changes next Wednesday, February 20 when the 29-year-old construction worker makes his amateur debut in the Daily News Golden Gloves’ 201-pound novice class at the Club Amazura in Jamaica.
The Golden Gloves piqued his interest every year but Dean, whose 22-year old brother Eric Brisco is also competing, did not sign up until just recently when his girlfriend saw an advertisement for the tournament in a local newspaper.
“I thought it would be a good time to try something new,” the Long Island City native said. “I feel confident in my skills. I would like to see how good I am against someone else who feels the same way.”
“I’m ecstatic,” he said, referring to his debut. “I’m definitely going to be nervous, but hopefully it won’t show in my performance.”
The William Bryant graduate spends much of his free time watching the sweet science. His favorite fighters are Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and James Toney. He likes watching brawling-type fighters, guys who can finish. He is not predicting a knockout, but Dean is confident.
“I don’t think I can take a loss,” he said. “I don’t even picture that. I’m very confident.”
Unlike Dean, George Carroll was not an avid fan of the sport. Boxing piqued his interest when he came across it, but he took part in the Golden Gloves mainly out of circumstance. He was rehabbing his knee following surgery at Core Fitness when he started working out jumping ropes and hitting the heavy bag. It was an alternative to lifting weights.
“I just did it to get in shape, I started sparring and it took off from there,” the Ozone Park native said. “I started training and the opportunities arose and I decided to take it. Its something I wanted to pursue.”
A sanitation worker for the city, Carroll, who is fighting in the 201-pound division, played baseball and basketball at Richmond Hill. But those sports cannot compare, Carroll said, to the stamina boxing demands.
“Going in the ring is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “There’s a lot of discipline involved.”
Rajiv Bhattacharya fought in amateur tournaments growing up in London, England, but nothing like the Daily News Golden Gloves.
“It’s a huge tournament,” he said. “We’ve got nothing like that back home. It is pretty cool. I knew it was big event; I had no Idea how big until I boxed in it. Even in the preliminaries, every single show is a huge event. I’m glad I came back this year, and I’m hoping it continues.”
Last year, Bhattacharya lost early, dropping his bout to a fighter who went on to the finals. He started training late for that fight in the 141-pound novice class.
“I was boxing at the wrong weight because I didn’t have as much time to train,” he said. “I was obviously very disappointed to have lost, but it was a good wakeup call that I needed to take my training a little more seriously and sharpen things up.”
Having moved down to 132, Bhattacharya has won his last four amateur fights, including his first victory in the Golden Gloves recently. The investment banker with UBS, who lives in Jamaica, thinks this year will be different.
“I feel good, I feel good about the weight, but I’m sure everybody who won their first fight is feels good and confident about themselves,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”