LYNN– Lynn native and Private Jewels Fitness owner Alex Sepulveda has two passions that stand out above the rest of his interests. The first is his hometown, the second is boxing. He’ll bring them together Nov. 3-4 when the New England Silver Gloves boxing tournament makes its way to Lynn.
“I’m excited,” Sepulveda said. “This is actually like a dream come true. We’re bringing a tournament that started in Massachusetts and bringing it back here. We’re bringing it to my city of Lynn. I take pride in boxing and my city, and bringing them together is just beautiful.”
The two-day tournament will take place at Lynn Tech’s field house. A total of 10 states will participate in the regional tournament and fighters range from ages 8 to 15. Each bout consists of three one-minute rounds.
In addition to the tournament fights, 10 “special bouts” will be held each day. The “special bouts” consist of three three-minute rounds and aren’t part of the tournament.
The Silver Gloves regional started in Massachusetts before moving to Rhode Island, where it has taken place for the past 80 years. Sepulveda was recently named Head Director of the Silver Gloves Program and wasted no time bringing the tournament to Lynn.
“It was hard. It was a bit of a struggle for the city of Lynn to kind of comprehend the tournament,” Sepulveda said. “The city doesn’t know a lot about boxing. We talked with the School Committee, Mayor (Thomas) McGee. The city backs it up and they comprehend things now. With that, we’re getting a lot of sponsors and things like that.”
Private Jewels has kept itself busy in gearing up for the regional. Sepulveda said 12-15 of the boxing hopefuls from his youth program will bout in the tournament. That includes Sepulveda’s son, nine-year-old Alex Jr.
“These kids are excited,” Sepulveda said. “They have so much pride for this city from the beginning. Now that it’s at home, it’s game on. They’re not here to lose. They’re working hard every day. The momentum for these kids is changing. We have a billboard in Lynn and we have kids coming and saying, ‘I want to compete in this tournament.’ That shows me a lot of pride. The commitment these kids have is amazing. The energy and passion these kids have is out of control.”
Part of preparing for a regional tournament includes dedication to a strict training regimen. Sepulveda said he’s impressed by what’s he’s seen from his fighters in the gym on a daily basis.
“They’ve been doing a lot of cardio, keeping hands up, keeping defense up,” Sepulveda added. “Boxing is a lifestyle. You live it, you dream it, you train it. If you miss one day of training, you take 10 steps back. If you want to be a (Floyd) Mayweather or Canelo (Alvarez), you have to train hard. These kids are giving it their all. In boxing you don’t call a timeout. You have to go all the way.”
With 10 states bringing their best bouters to Lynn, the level of competition will be top-notch. As the Olympic coach for the New England Regional team, Sepulveda travels to gyms throughout the region and knows it’s tough to defeat talented boxers when their goals are on the line. That’s part of the message he has relayed to his own fighters.
“It’s a regional tournament, to pass to the nationals,” Sepulveda said. “You’re going to have fighters that have over 100 fights, you’re going to have fighters that only have two or three fights. I go to a lot of gyms, I see a lot of them training. We compete at a high level because these kids are state representatives. They’re fighting for their communities. The competition will be fierce because it’s one dream against another.”
Tickets for the New England Silver Gloves boxing tournament start at $10 ($30 for ringside seating) and can be purchased at the door or by visiting privatejewelsfitness.com. They can also be purchased via the Private Jewels app.
