By Charles Jay
Night of insider boxing fight.
That has a great “ring” to it.
In a minute, I’ll tell a little more about my friend and colleague who’s behind it. For now, suffice it to say he’s jumping right to the bottom of the abyss and he’s doing it with a remarkable degree of relevance.
And in the process, his event became part of one of the larger boxing weekends New York City has seen in some time, culminating in a clash that was High expectations for the women’s lightweight title between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, taking place Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Sure, that might end up serving as a main course for some, but there’s a pretty enticing appetizer on Thursday night’s outing like United States boxing subway (the governing body for amateur boxing in the city and surrounding area), along with Boxing Insiderpresent a part in Master of the Rings championship tournament, which functions as an official qualifier for the national Golden Gloves (showtimes at 7pm, opens at 6pm).
And the boy came up with a first-class place. Sony Hall (235 W. 46th Street) is one of the top venues for live events in Manhattan, located just off Times Square. It’s in the Broadway theater district. Let’s put it this way – if there’s a performer of the world-famous musical “Hamilton” on Thursday (there isn’t one), you can go there and walk right across the street and into Boxing Insider Fight Night.
I am mainly engaged in the work of making predictions. My prediction is that you will have a better time with boxing.
And you’ll be helping the general community kick off.
What I noticed is that there are sixteen different clubs in the US Boxing Metro area being represented at the show. That, in and of itself, represents an incredible amount of volunteers.
For those of you who may not realize how amateur boxing works, the vast majority of people involved in the running engine – and I mean the trainers, the corner guys, the runners. Officials, administrators, and even those who promote these programs – have a full – career outside of boxing, and they devote their time and efforts to this pursuit basically on volunteer facility. They work with young people. They take care of all the rides. They take the long bus, if that’s what they have to do. They give a lot.
And speaking of it, they all have one thing in common, which is that they do it because they have a great love and respect for boxing. They are dedicated to developing the sport. If you watch these people and what they do, like I do when I go to amateur boxing shows, you will ask yourself, “How do they do it? How do they get the energy to put in all the time and effort, which is such a precious thing? ”
Luckily they found it. And people are a little luckier for it.
Certainly, whenever you gather a lot of people together, politics is likely to creep in. This is not true on a national or world level, and you may have read about it at times.
But no one should confuse this with the usual world of professional boxing. This is not a bloody battle between rivals as they chase the almighty dollar. No one gets rich here. When it really goes down, as you’re talking about the Local Boxing Board (LBC) level, everyone’s paddles are in the water, stroking more or less in the same direction.
And that, I believe, deserves your support.
When Larry GoldbergThe publisher of Boxing Insider, told me he was going on this showdown tour scheduled for Thursday, and many other events after that, I encouraged him all the way.
And in my opinion, he couldn’t have been better.
Sonya Lamonakis is the Vice President & President of Registration of USA Boxing Metro (Ray Cuadrado is the President). You might remember her from her days as an active boxer; actually, she is the IBO women’s heavyweight world champion.
These days, she’s one of those people I mentioned a second ago. She has a full-time job as a schoolteacher at New York City Public Schools, and above all, for all intents and purposes, she and her team will process information. details on all the local programs from A to Z. And in case any doubt, there are quite a few programs to coordinate.
She is, to put it simply, indispensable.
I was affiliated with Boxing Insider and Larry Goldberg, continuously, for about twenty years. So let’s just say I’ve actually watched him grow up.
And one day, after years of publishing his website, he decided he was going to do what not many people in his position would do. He decided to learn everything he could about the intricacies of the sport and the business behind it.
He started training at boxing gyms, mainly Mendez Boxing on East 26th Street, under the guidance of real, live, legal trainers. At first, I didn’t think he was serious, but after he showed me a few bruises and bruises from his bouts, I became confident.
It’s the kind of activity that spurred some of the newfound appreciation for the sport. And now where is he putting his money, by moving into advertising, offering a whole new set of things to explore.
He has bright eyes and a bushy tail. He is dripping with enthusiasm. And if you ask me, he’s treating it like a world contender.
He is participating. And while I wouldn’t go too far in saying that amateur boxing needs to “get back,” especially in the New York area, it doesn’t hurt to have more people who can help strengthen the groundwork, because as it is so important for sport to thrive. It keeps kids out of trouble. It is truly life changing. And that’s what my friend is contributing.
So I’m proud of the guy. And he will be here for a while.
So if you’re not doing anything on a Thursday night, go to Sony Hall. And if you HAVE plans, change them. It will be worth yours for a while.
When you get there, find Larry or Sonya (or any of the participants, for that matter) and tell them you appreciate what they’re doing.
It will make a lot of sense.
