A potent thunderstorm sent a curtain of jumbo drops which quickly filled the sidewalks and delayed my arrival Friday evening at the Diamond Gloves Tournament, but the downpour would later loosen the grip that the muggy mid-summer air held on St. Louis all afternoon.
Inside the Marquette Rec Center on the Southside, a diverse crowd gathered to watch novice and more experienced athletes compete in the annual amateur fundraiser that has become somewhat of a reunion, bridging the summer vacation gap in a boxing schedule that revolves mostly around the school year.
A crowd stood shoulder-to-shoulder like a choir on the creaky wooden planks of the fold out stands, singing the praises of each fighter they believed in, billowy robes replaced with jeans, t-shirts and tank tops.
My first order of business was to interview Otis Brown Jr., the talented 16-year-old Mehlville High School student who just returned from the Junior Olympics with a Silver medal.
He told me his speed, punching power and body attack served him well in Michigan as he overwhelmed his first opponent and captured a decision victory in his second test.
He is now preparing for the challenges he will face as he joins the men’s under-19 open division at the PAL, USA, and National Golden Gloves Championships.
As we chatted, Durrand Jones from 12th & Park had his hands full in the ring with Wohl’s Ray Shipp. Jones was finding a home for 1, 2’s up the middle as Shipp kept using his wheels to set up angles, turning his charging foe like a matador.
Although Shipp closed the show strongly just prior to the final bell, Jones had plenty of points deposited in the bank to earn the decision.
With the next bout ready to begin, I spotted Devon Alexander “The Great” wading hip-high through a group of kids, smiling and stopping to pose for photos.
The rising pro star wore a red Cardinals cap and looked comfortable inside the building where he has spent countless rounds upstairs honing his craft with the hopes of fulfilling his destiny of becoming the future of boxing in St. Louis.
Lamarr Harris was also back in familiar territory, posing with Alexander and then telling me he will continue his middleweight campaign with a fight next month in Atlanta.
Harris will be leaving in a couple of weeks to train with Al Mitchell in Marquette, Michigan to add more wrinkles to his pro game.
As the former amateur standouts Alexander and Harris mingled with fans, it was obvious that the future stars were making statements of their own nearby.
Jonathan Rivers from Wohl and Buder’s Devonte Drummer showed that they would each like to be the boss locally in the 15 and 16-year-old, 125-pound class.
Rivers rolled forward with a cold assassin’s stare, firing hurtful salvos that extracted a pair of standing eight counts early on. But Drummer would hang tight and land a punishing 1, 2 up top in the second frame.
The aggressive Rivers continued to step with his jab and follow with right crosses, but he got caught a couple of times inside when he lingered too long admiring his handiwork.
There was little doubt when the numbers were crunched that the busier Rivers’ glove would be raised, setting up the prospect of more matches between the two in the future.
The night ended up being not only a homecoming for local fighters that graduated at the top of their classes, but for the present and future stars of the amateur scene and the coaches who continue to instruct them.
