The 2011 Golden Gloves Region 1 tournament will take place on  Saturday, March 19th.  Winners will advance to the UMGG Tournament in Walker, Minnesota in early April.

Golden Gloves Region 1 Tournament
Uppercut Gym
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Doors open – 6 p.m.
Bouts commence – 7 p.m.

Tickets (available in advance at the gym):
Front row (in advance) – $15
Front row (at door) – $20
General admission (in advance) – $10
General admission (at door) – $15

Contact: Lisa @ 612.822.1964

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*Winners are bold

145 lbs Janelle Bane (Uppercut Gym) vs Meri Stewart (Mpls)
120 lbs Quadalupe Contreas (St.CBWC) vs Chandler Metzor (Twin Ports)
115 lbs Zach Hamlin (Top Team) vs Drew Angle (Lorenzi’s)
95 lbs Haakon Deach (Uppercut Gym) vs Brandlee Lewis (Rice Street)
175lbs Roy Dunlap (Opportunity knocks) vs Abdi Ahmed (4th Street)
195 lbs Steve McComas (Uppercut Gym) vs Glen Erickson (Lorenzi’s Gym)
150 lbs Juan Gonzales (Uppercut Gym) vs Brandon Ryberg (Mpls)
165 lbs Jim Holovinia (Uppercut, coach alfonso) vs Andrew Marson (Uppercut, coach seko)
115 lbs Nate Burkhalter (4th Street) vs Carl Martinez (Rice Street)
160 lbs Alex Baldillo (Uppercut Gym) vs Brendan Feiler (St.CBWC)
135 lbs Jessica Radtke (Uppercut Gym) vs Jessica Bernier (St. Paul)

FOR VIDEO CLICK HERE

Thank Jason Hendrickson!

1324 Quincy street NE,  Minneapolis

Doors open at 6pm

Boxing at 7pm

General $15, Front Row $20

Contact: Lisa @ 612.822.1964

Uppercut Gym will host a clinic for new and continuing boxing coaches and officials on Saturday, January 15th. The coaches clinic will be from 12:30-1:30 p.m., and is required for anyone who wants to coach an amateur fighter in competition.

The officials clinic will follow from (approximately) 1:30-5 p.m. New amateur boxing officials (clerks, judges, referees, and timekeepers) are always needed and welcomed, and it’s a great way to learn more about the sport.  Plus, you’ve always got a ringside seat!

All coaches and officials are required by USA Boxing to attend a clinic at least once every two years for re-certification.  This is a great opportunity to get your coach or official credentials in order through 2012!

This Saturday the 15th the Wadena Boxing Club will be sponsoring an amateur show to be held at the Wadena Armory. The Wadena Armory is located at 517 Jefferson St N.  Doors open at 6:30pm and first bout is at 7:30pm.  For more info click here. 

Also this weekend, the Uppercut Gym will be a coaches and officials clinic.  The clinic will be for continuing & new boxing coaches and officials. The coaches clinic will begin at 12:30pm and the officials clinic will follow at 1:30pm (approx.) For more info please contact Lisa@ 612.822.1964 or click here.

Boxers $50 (they must have all of the required documents)

Coaches/Officials $75

With the one-year anniversary of my first amateur boxing match approaching, I look back and am somewhat amazed at all I have accomplished in the last couple years.  In a predominantly male sport it can be difficult for women to carve out a niche for themselves.  Because there are fewer women in boxing than men, finding competition can be a difficult and often frustrating process.  However, there are some women, like me, who are willing to raise the stakes and take their training to the next level; women who are willing to do whatever it takes to compete in the ring.

I began training for competition during the summer of 2009 with hopes of having my debut match that fall.  Lisa Bauch (owner of Uppercut Gym in Minneapolis) approached me in early September and told me she had found a girl my size at a nearby gym that was willing to box.  After weeks of a strictly regimented diet and workout routine, I was anxiously anticipating fight night.  Just days before the match, however, Lisa called and said, “Sorry, she pulled out.”  I didn’t know then, but those words would become all too familiar.  After a few more months of searching for suitable contender, we were finally able to find an opponent who was training right here in my own gym.

Chaunté Ford, a female boxer I met at Uppercut Gym, began looking for a match four months after she started training at age 16.  Three years later, and no closer to tracking down an opponent, she left the ring to pursue other dreams.  Now, at age 21, her book remains empty.  Ford is just one example of the challenge women face in the ring.  Even still, she recently returned to the gym to resume her training.  When I asked her why she keeps coming back to the gym after the constant let-down of never finding an opponent she responded, “Everyone has their time to shine in the ring and I guess for some people it just takes longer than others.  I know that one day my time will come and it will be great!”  Ford’s situation proves that a winning attitude and resilience are essential for women who want to compete in this sport.

(L to R) Heidi Henrickson, Jason Hendrickson, Alfonso Vasquez

When I began boxing I was unaware that competition would be so difficult to come by.  As a former volleyball and soccer player, I was used to the structure of team sports – section championships, state tournaments and team bus rides.  Boxing is not such a sport.  Matches are made one at a time and can fall through at the last minute.  Any boxer understands that this is a likely possibility and women in the sport experience it frequently.  A typical fight card will include a disclaimer at the bottom, “All bouts subject to change.”  That has been me on multiple occasions.

Since my first bout, I have managed to rack up another 5 miraculous matches – an average of one every two months.  Which, when compared to Chaunté Ford’s experience, is pretty incredible.  Scattered throughout the last year and a half are likely a half-dozen more that have been canceled due to girls not showing up for weigh-ins or dropping out days before a fight.  To help get some matches for their female fighters, coaches will sometimes resort to financing teams from out of state (even internationally) to come in for competitions or simply match boxers with the same opponent time after time.  Neither scenario is ideal for any boxer who wants a well-rounded career with numerous matches, so staying local is not enough for some boxers.

There are still a few arenas where women come together in greater numbers to test their skill in the squared circle.  The 2010 Ringside World Championships was a gold mine for women of my size and experience.  There were an overwhelming 7 girls in my weight class, in comparison to the three years previous when the only girl showing up at 178 pounds went uncontested.  Earlier this year the International Olympic Committee voted that women’s boxing should be included in the 2012 Summer Olympics, sending the message that all athletes, regardless of gender, are valued in the Olympic family.  This is hopefully indicative of a positive change in the climate surrounding the sport as a whole.  Maybe more women will be bolstered by this international recognition and pull their gloves on. Meanwhile, the girls at Uppercut keep on swinging.

Since I joined Uppercut in the spring of 2008 a handful of girls have trickled in and have gradually become interested in pursuing an amateur career, adding to the small contingent of women already established at the gym.  It has been exciting to be part of an incredible group determined to master the sweet science.  We train together, sweat together, spar together and support each other. We are all committed to seeing it through to that moment when we step into the ring and hear the bell sound.  And that is a hopeful thing.

October 16th, 2010

Adrian Contreras (Roch.) 65lbs Francisco Escamilla (Roch.)

Brady Copas (Uppercut) 125lbs Ariel Shiffman (Savage)

Josh Mettler (Lorenzi) 180lbs Roy Dunlap (Opportunity Knocks)

Mitch Gilbert (St. Cloud) 160lbs Matt Weremer (Roch.)

Jesse Vazquez (Uppercut) 160lbs David Charlez (Mpls)

Brady Letson (Savage) 150lbs Everett Lavietorire (Manitoba)

Isaac Hung (Lorenzi) 115lbs  Nate Burkhalter (Roch.) by Ret. 1

Clyde Willrich (Uppercut) 145lbs Josh Melton (ACR)

Tom Longendyke (WBL) 160lbs Lucas Jannssen (Manitoba)

Cory Thompson (Uppercut) 170lbs Antonio Salazer (WBL)

Vinny Downwind (WI) SHW Rick Voss (Manitoba)

Kerek Taylor (Uppercut) SHW Adam McDemtd (Lorenzi)

*I have video of most of these bouts and will get them up as quickly as possible.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Sat, October ^16th boxing show at Uppercut Gym.

1324 Quincy street NE,  Minneapolis

Doors open at 6pm

Boxing at 7pm

General $15, Front Row $20

Contact: Lisa @ 612.822.1964

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This is a big year for Minnesota boxer Aaron Green.  He will soon be stepping into the ring as a professional. “I am very excited,” Green said. “Just the word ‘pro’ means a lot.  It means that you are one of the best at the sport, in order to be considered professional.  The travel will be interesting, and also the aspect of getting paid to do something you love to do.  And I’m excited about the exposure.”

The Indianapolis native started boxing in Minnesota in October, 2007.  Green has been training at The Uppercut Gym.  Green said he greatly enjoys his time at the Uppercut.  “It’s like a family,” he said. “Everybody has the same thing in common.  I’ve met a lot of great people here, with all different kinds of backgrounds.”

As an amateur he boxed as a super-heavyweight, but as a professional he will fight as heavyweight. At 6’4 plus change, Green said that height is one of his greatest assets as a boxer.  He is also proud of his speed in the ring.

Green is also experienced in other sports.  He played basketball at the University Of South Dakota and North Dakota State University.  His experience with college basketball also helped him get where he is today. “Having played basketball in college has helped me with my boxing career because I have experience playing and performing in front of large crowds and in new environments,” he said. “Also, it helps with my training regimen because I am able to push myself harder because I know the demands it takes to be successful on a high level.” In addition to his boxing career, Green also works as a personal trainer. He incorporates boxing into his personal training sessions, and in that way, his two careers help each other.

Along with the excitement of turning pro, Green also looks forward to being a positive influence for young kids.  He first became interested in helping kids when he visited his daughter’s school.  “I like to be a role model,” he said. “When I was young you had people come visit your school, whether athletes or otherwise you were excited to see those people.  I like the opportunity to be able to do that, because I know how it was for me when I was a kid.” Green encourages anyone who is interested in boxing to give it a try. “Once you are in the sport, you will always want to be in it,” he said.