The 2011 Daily News Golden Gloves became a battle of the boroughs when the fights came to Holy Cross High School on Friday, February 25.
The two hottest fights of the night pitted Queens against Brooklyn in grudge matches that went the full three rounds. The 132 lb. novice fights were heavyweight in action – as fighters from both corners traded blows in a display of finesse and brute force.
In the first of the Brooklyn vs. Queens fights, Francisco Valdez of Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn defeated Eleuterio Leon Maldonado of K-2 Boxing in Queens after the pair went a full three rounds of exhausting amateur boxing.
Maldonado’s trainers, Eddie Thompson and Lennox Blackmore, said that their fighter was ready for the long haul and were proud he was able to stand toe-to-toe with his opponent. They expect the 21-year-old to be back in next year’s tournament.
“He [Maldonado] battled,” said Thompson, who trains Maldonado at the K-2 Boxing Club in Long Island City.
Further down the fight card, spectators were treated to what many in the high school gym called the match of the night. Sergio Zanteno of Worldwide BC in Queens squared off against Ramis Baz of Brooklyn’s Universal BC.
Zanteno, 33, stood tough, but couldn’t match the younger Baz’s stamina nor get around his long jab. Baz, 22, a plumber in Midtown, was named the P.C. Richard Boxer of the Night after taking the decision.
The boxing fanatics in the crowd were surprised to see a 33-year-old pitted against the much younger Baz – and they were impressed that Zanteno was able to go the distance in the bout.
“Zanteno is an old man in boxing years,” said Phil Oshton of Whitestone. “He really did fight well when you think about it, but the kid [Baz] was just too tough and too quick.”
The Daily News Golden Gloves consist of 10 weeks of elimination bouts held throughout the New York metropolitan area. A field of hundreds of fighters is narrowed down through these bouts to compete in the finals at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, to be held on April 7 and 8.
Since 1927, local boxers have competed for the chance to win a Golden Gloves championship. The competition was the launching pad for world champions Emile Griffith, Jose Torres, Floyd Patterson, Riddick Bowe and Mark Breland.
