By Sally Deering

Early on in his amateur career Muhammad Ali won the title of Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion of the World with champs like Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather following in Aliâ€s footsteps. The Golden Gloves was their training ground, the place where they learned to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.

The Golden Gloves is still training future champs and its franchise, the NJ Golden Gloves continues to provide amateur boxers the opportunity to shine in the ring and take home the title. This year, Jersey City became the first city to host all NJ Golden Gloves tournaments on its turf, and the tournaments, which began on Saturday, March 1 will be held every Saturday at Dickinson and Ferris High Schools and Elementary Schools No. 7 and 17. The location for the championship bout on April 12 is still to be decided.

“With a brand new boxing program and a progressive agenda to promote health and fitness, we couldnâ€t think of a better partner for the Golden Gloves than Jersey City,” Dan Doyle, President of the NJ Golden Gloves says.  “With its great location and many outstanding amenities for visitors, Jersey City is the perfect place to host the tournament. Golden Gloves boxing has found a home in Jersey City, which has a rich history in boxing.”

Champion of the World

For the NJ Golden Gloves, 300 New Jersey boxers have registered to compete for the New Jersey Championship Title and one championship hopeful is Tony “Show Time” Rivera, 22, of Jersey City, representing the Jersey City Recreation Department. Rivera, who works nights as a security guard goes for a 5-mile run as part of his training as soon as he gets off work. He then sleeps until early evening and hits the gym for three hours. Itâ€s a rigorous schedule, but one that definitely pays off. Last year, Rivera won the Diamond Gloves at the NJ Golden Gloves and this year he wants to win the big title. On Mar 8, Rivera won his bout and on Sat, Mar. 15 he boxes in the semi-finals at Ferris High School his alma-mater.

“I would love to go to the Olympics, but my main goal is to become champion of the world and represent my city, Jersey City,” Rivera says, just back from the gym after a training session. “I look up to guys who trained in Jersey City like Arturo Gatti and the ‘old school†boxers like Mark Medal. They were champs.”

Rivera owes a lot to his trainer Luis Cancino who pushes him to train hard. He says: “I couldnâ€t do this without Luis. He believes in me and pushes me. For every champ thereâ€s a trainer who believes in him. He has a great heart.”

Boxing helps you mentally and physically, Rivera says. He also says it has been a great outlet for him that keeps him focused on believing in himself and setting goals.

“It pushes you to go after what you want,” Rivera says. “It has kept me off the streets and helped me focus.”

Boxing keeps him close to family and friends who come to the bouts to cheer him on, all wearing Tony “Show Time” Rivera T-Shirts to show their support. Win or lose, after the bouts Rivera and his opponents are good friends, even after feeling the effects of their swift and mighty jabs and hooks.  There may be sore muscles, but never sore feelings after a bout.

‘You feel bad of course, but itâ€s never personal, itâ€s just business,” Rivera says. “At the end of the day, outside the ring I respect my opponent. He trained hard, too, and thereâ€s a mutual respect. I know heâ€s going through the same thing Iâ€m going through.  Once the fight is over thereâ€s nothing but love at the end of the day.”

TRAINING THE NEXT ALI

Paul Dunleavy grew up in Jersey City and learned to box at the local PAL (Police Athletic League) when he was just 13. He boxed three times in the NJ Golden Gloves and for the past five years heâ€s been training boxers and NJ Golden Gloves competitors.

“Boxing changed my life,” Dunleavy says, “and it wasnâ€t about being a champ. It was the people I had been around. The confidence I built. You walk into a gym and youâ€re dealing with guys from all over the world. You realize weâ€re all the same. It gives you experience with other people and other cultures. I have nothing but good friends and great things happen to me from boxing.”

Dunleavy says you can take a kid who may have a drug problem and if you introduce him to boxing, you can wean him from a path of drug abuse to a life with purpose.

“A kid can have a drug problem because he has nothing going on,” Dunleavy says. “In the gym, they respect the rules and everybody in the gym and slowly that feeds into their personal life.”

You canâ€t just be a trainer, you have to be a friend, Dunleavy says.

“They want someone to hear them,” Dunleavy says. “They want someone to believe in them.”

JERSEY CITYâ€S GOLDEN RING

Jersey City has always been a big boxing town with several gyms for kids to learn the sport and recently, the cityâ€s recreation department launched a youth boxing program. And as host to the NJ Golden Gloves, Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop sees the program and the Golden Gloves as a positive outlet for kids.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Jersey City to host all eight Golden Gloves matches, which not only provides a recreational outlet for our families, but also showcases the sport to our youth,” Mayor Fulop says. “As part of expanding our recreation department, this year we launched a youth boxing program which has nearly 100 registered participants. Hosting the Golden Gloves is a chance for our youth to see the sport in action.”

IF YOU GO:

NJ Golden Gloves

General Admission: $15 and $20 for ringside seats.

Children under 12 can attend for free with the supervision of an adult.

All fights begin at 7 p.m.

For more info; www.njgoldengloves.com

REMAINING SCHEDULE:

March 22:    Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade Ave

March 29:    Middle School No. 7, 222 Laidlaw Ave

April   05:    Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade Ave

CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW:

April 12:      Location TO BE DETERMINED

The post The Champ -Jersey City Hosts Golden Gloves; Young Boxers Duke for Title first appeared on River View Observer.

 By Sally Deering

Danielle Lenardo

At 29, Danielle Lenardo of Bayonne received news every woman dreads, she had breast cancer. After going through chemotherapy and beating the cancer, Lenardo hit the gym to strengthen her body, mind and spirit. She not only strengthened, she built some serious muscle.

In June 2013, Lenardo took her new muscular physique and competed in the NPC (National Physique Committee) Championship Competition where she won First Place in Figure in all divisions. In November, she won her Pro card in Figure with the NGA (National Gym

Association).

On Fri, April 11 at 7 pm, the night before the NJ Golden Gloves†Open Championship bouts, the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 164 will host its annual NJ Golden Gloves Novice Championships bouts. The championship is also a boxing charity event that raises money for the Project Grandma breast cancer fund. (The fund was named Project Grandma about 20 year ago by IBEW Local 164 because all women should live long enough to be a grandma!)

A highlight of this yearâ€s event, organized by Golden Gloves trainers Tommy Ewaska and Paul Dunleavy and Local 164 business agent Keith Misciagna, will be when they honor Lenardo with the Heart of a Champion award.

“Every year we give the Heart of a Champion award,” Dunleavy says. “Chuck Wepner of Bayonne, who fought Muhammad Ali got it one year. This year, we decided to give it to a woman and who better than Danielle Lenardo. She had cancer and sheâ€s 10 years passed that. She got her pro body-building license. Sheâ€s an inspiration. ”

A Pro Figure competitor, Lenardo, 41, trains at the Forum Fitness gym in Bayonne.

“Pro Figure Competition is when you go on stage and pose and youâ€re judged by symmetry, muscularity and stage presence,” Lenardo says.

Always into fitness, after she beat cancer Lenardo threw her heart and soul into training so she could be as healthy as possible.  She works out at the gym six days a week, where she lifts weights and does kettle bell and sandbag training. She also works full-time teaching “Pre-k” in Jersey City. Lenardo says lifting weights and becoming a body-builder was her way of fighting back after her cancer diagnosis and her refusal to feel like a victim.

“When Iâ€m lifting heavy weight or my trainer is pushing me I feel strong and know if I want to do something and set my mind to it, I can,” Lenardo says. “Whenever I leave the gym I always feel one-hundred percent stronger. I would recommend other women do it. Especially women who are in remission or recovery. Itâ€s so much better than sitting home and itâ€s a proven fact that exercise helps reduce the chance of recurrence.”

Lenardo doesnâ€t consider herself a power-lifter and says sheâ€s more about endurance, although she can lift 195 pounds.

“When I train in the gym, some guys say to me, ‘I want to be you when I grow upâ€,” Lenardo laughs.

Being a body-builder excites her, Lenardo says, and she never asks ‘Why me?†when referring to her bout with breast cancer. Instead, she believes the experience has made her a stronger person.

Meanwhile, sheâ€s very excited and looking forward to receiving the Heart of a Champion award on April 11. The award is being custom-made by Sartonk of Union City.

“For them to honor me, I hold it very close to my heart,” Lenardo says. “It truly is a mission in my life to raise awareness. I could have crawled under my covers or stand up and fight and I stood up and fought and I did it for my children and my husband. You come out of it a stronger person and with a different view of things you took for granted. There is life after breast cancer.”

Founded in 1901, Local 164 remains dedicated to the IBEW’s objective to help make life better for its members and those around them. Originally established with exclusive jurisdiction in Hudson County, Local 164 was expanded to include Bergen County in 1928 and Essex County in June 2000.

At this yearâ€s boxing charity event, there will be special guests, past Golden Gloves contenders and champs including Roy Mercer, Mark Medal, Vito Antuofurmo, Bobby Czyz, and Larry Barnes who will sign autographs and take pictures with guests and their children. Dunleavy says most boxers are gentlemen and givers.

“These guys who are supposed to be so animalistic are really compassionate people” Dunleavy says.

If you go:

Fri, April 11, 7 pm (Bouts begin 8 pm)

IBEW LOCAL 164

NJ GOLDEN GLOBES NOVICE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND CHARITY EVENT

65 West Century Road

Paramus

Tickets: General Admission $20

Ringside: $40; $100

For tickets call:

Cassie at 201-265-7273, x213; or,

Theresa at 201-265-1700 x246.

The post Danielle Lenardo Proves -You Gotta Have Heart first appeared on River View Observer.

The post Golden Gloves 2014 -The Champ-Jersey City Hosts Golden Gloves; Young Boxers Duke for Title first appeared on River View Observer.