National Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament Returns To Detroit

The best amateur boxers from around the country will be making their way to Detroit. For the first time in 24 years, the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions is making its return to Detroit. The Metro Detroit Golden Gloves and the Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG) will host the 2024 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, May 13-18 at Huntington Place.

According to the Golden Gloves of America website, the first Golden Gloves tournament took place in 1923. The Golden Gloves of America, Inc. and its member franchises provide an opportunity and environment for young athletes to develop lifetime skills. Hundreds of administrators, coaches, trainers, and counselors have helped young people in the development of personal character and athletic skills. The Golden Gloves program promotes amateur boxing in the United States and has produced many competitors for America’s boxing teams in the Pan-Am and Olympic games.

The last time Detroit hosted the tournament was in 2000. Other tournament stops include Grand Rapids, Reno, Nevada, Knoxville, Tennessee and Denver, Colorado.

The event will feature over 300 boxers from 30 Golden Gloves franchises across the United States. Male and female boxers, ages 18-42, will compete across 20 weight classes for the title of National Golden Gloves Champion.

Huntington Place will be transformed into a boxing arena featuring four rings. Over the six days of the tournament, more than 200 bouts will be held, and one man and one woman will be chosen as winners.

The Metro Detroit Golden Gloves partnered with the Downtown Boxing Gym and the Detroit Sports Commission to help bring the annual event back to Detroit, winning a bid from dozens of cities vying to host the big event.

Metro Detroit Golden Gloves President Ansel Stewart told Click On Detroit that the city of Detroit itself was the selling point. “When we put in the bid, Detroit was at the forefront,” said Stewart. “We’re selling Detroit, and everybody was excited. They want to come back to Detroit because they’ve heard good things about Detroit.”

This event comes after the success of the NFL Draft the city hosted. Detroit broke the NFL draft attendance record with over 775K fans last month.

Many Golden Gloves champions became professional world champions, including Joe Louis, Thomas Hearns, and Muhammad Ali. According to the History Network, Joe Louis began boxing in the amateur circuit in 1932. He won Detroit’s Golden Gloves light-heavyweight title in the open class in 1934. In 1977, at age 19, Thomas Hearns won a Golden Gloves championship and was named the nation’s “Outstanding National Amateur Boxer.” Muhammad Ali won six Golden Gloves tournaments as an amateur boxer.

Tickets for the week of boxing are available at the door and can be found online here.

Canelo Alvarez is truly king in the ring. The super middleweight champion towered over Jaime Munguia in their much-anticipated fight on Saturday (May 4), and he scored a unanimous win. So, who are the best boxers in the world right now, pound-for-pound?

Before we get to the best boxers in the world right now, let's look closer at Alvarez and his win. Now that he's consistently pulled off definitive wins, the public wants to see him fight David Benavidez, "The Mexican Monster," who caught everyone's attention after beating both Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade.

After the May 4 fight, Alvarez was asked about fighting Benavidez, who has been talking smack about him, as they say. "If the money's right ... I can fight [Benavidez] right now," Alvarez said in a post-fight press conference. "I don't give a s---. It's only a matter of money at this point. Everybody is asking for everything. When I fought [Erislandy] Lara, Austin Trout, Miguel Angel Cotto, [Floyd] Mayweather, Billy Joe Saunders, GGG, everybody said I don't want to fight them, and I fought all of them. So right now ... I can do whatever I want."

It's true that Alvarez can do whatever he wants, as he's very successful. But, is he really the best if he won't fight the one guy that everyone wants him to fight? Hey, I can't contest Alvarez's record and legacy. But, give the people what they want, Alvarez. Everyone would love to see some of the best boxers in the world duke it out.

Benavidez wants the fight with Alvarez. He wants it badly. He was there Saturday, promoting his June 15 Las Vegas fight vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk. "The fans now are getting upset because this is the biggest fight on the table," Benavidez told ESPN during a news conference. "And why are we going to leave it on the table for no reason? This is a fight that has to happen. ... And I'm going to keep putting these types of performances on where people are going to want to see it. The demand of this fight is really high. It's bad blood. I don't like him. He doesn't like me."

So, we all want to see the fight. If it happens, it will draw a lot of money and interest. For now, lots of interest rests on Benavidez's upcoming fight against Gvozdyk. He's moving up to light heavyweight for the fight. I'm such a fan of boxing, since it's so classic and old-fashioned. My dad was actually a boxer in Detroit when he was in high school, and I've always loved the sport. Now, let's get into some of the best boxers in the world right now, pound-for-pound. Reach out to me with your thoughts, too.

Dmitry Bivol is the current light heavyweight champion. The Russian currently lives in California and has been in the spotlight for years, but especially took the limelight when he beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022 in a controversial fight. He's super fun to watch in the ring.

Canelo Alvarez just upped his game with another win, as he took down Jaime Munguia in the two's much-anticipated fight on Saturday (May 4). I want to see him fight David Benavidez. Make it happen, guys and agents.

Oleksandr Usyk has held the the unified heavyweight titles since 2021. The Ukrainian professional boxer is one of the best Ukrainian boxers and cruiserweights of all time. He has a May 18, 2024, fight against Tyson Fury. He also takes on David Benavidez June 15, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Naoya Inoue is such a versatile boxer. The Japanese boxer is actually only the second male boxer, behind Terence Crawford, to be the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era. He has also won multiple world championships in four weight classes.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Terence Crawford is ranked No. 1 on this list. He has won multiple world championships in three weight classes and multiple World Boxing titles. On Aug. 3, 2024, he'll go up against Israil Madrimov.

He's not one of my top five, but David Benavidez absolutely deserves a mention. He's more than proven himself after beating both Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. He talks a lot of smack, too, which fans love. Let's see if he finally gets his fight with Canelo Alvarez.