DETROIT – Team Metro Detroit is off to a hot start in the 2024 National Golden Gloves with eight wins through days two and three.
The tournament in downtown Detroit, featuring over 300 of the best amateur boxers from around the nation, is hosted by The Metro Detroit Golden Gloves and Downtown Boxing Gym from May 13 to 18 at Huntington Place.
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--> Metro Detroit’s finest boxers dominate day 1 of 2024 National Golden Gloves
Day Two: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
In the 156-lb division, Jirair Thompson of Detroit defeated formidable opponent Garrett Neal, representing the upper mid-west, in an action-packed battle.
Thompson opened the first round using the jab and movement to stay at long-range and feel his opponent out.
Thompson’s jab opened more of his offensive arsenal, landing combinations to the head and body. Neal returned fire, but Thompson got the best of most of the exchanges.
The pace picked up in round two, and both fighters were successful, but Thompson landed the cleaner, more eye-catching shots.
It was a high-action round, but both fighters displayed great technical prowess. Thompson was again getting the best of most punch exchanges, but Neal fought back valiantly.
In round three, Thompson came firing out of the corner and shifted the already fast-paced fight into another gear with relentless combinations to the head and body.
Neal showed heart by weathering the storm, but Thompson applied a different level of offensive pressure throughout the round. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Thompson scoring a unanimous decision victory.
In the 203-lb division, Kahmel Makled of Detroit displayed a wide range of boxing skills against the tall and powerful Jordan Napper, who represented Tri-State.
Makled opened round one, jabbing and circling around the ring. Napper was tentative at first, not throwing many punches.
Makled out jabbed the taller fighter, allowing him to be first in most exchanges as he set up combinations to the head and body. Midway through the round, Napper finally threw punches and backed Makled to the ropes.
With his back against the ropes, Makled unleashed a flurry of punches that forced his opponent to back up. The hand speed difference allowed Makled to rack up points as he finished the round with another speedy combination.
In round two, Makled utilized jabs and movement around the ring to set up hard counters for Napper’s head and body.
Napper fired wide, winging hooks, but Makled made him miss and made him pay, landing a hard counter right hand that prompted a standing eight-count.
The crowd erupted with “Let’s go Detroit!” chants. Makled followed with another flurry towards the end of the round but got caught with a big left hook as the bell rang. Makled seemed to take it well.
Napper started round three with a different sense of urgency, throwing heavy combinations that backed Makled to the ropes.
Makled landed counters as Napper threw wide hooks. Napper continued the forward pressure throughout the round.
The final round was an all-out war, with both fighters landing hard blows. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Makled scoring a unanimous decision victory.
In the 147lbs division, Lance Smith of Detroit, MI, defeated Walter Assandri of Hawaii in a tough, back-and-forth battle.
There was no feel-out process in the first round of this fight. Assandri was on the front-foot attack from the opening bell, trying to close the distance and wear Smith down with pressure.
Smith used good movement around the ring to quell the relentlessness of Assandri. Smith countered with combinations to the head and body but Assandri kept up the forward pressure.
In round two, Smith focused more on attacking the body as Assandri came in close range. Smith found success working on the inside and changing angles as he ripped crushing blows to the body.
Smith seemed to get more comfortable as the fight continued, but Assandri remained on the front-foot attack. Smith ended the round with more clean body shots on the inside.
In round three, Assandri came with even more aggression, firing combinations on the inside. Midway through the round, Smith picked up the pace with consistent work to the body.
The accumulation of bodywork by Smith seemed to slow Assandri down, but he still came forward.
The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Smith scoring a split-decision victory. Smith’s consistent body attack and good movement around the ring allowed Him to gain the edge in this competitive fight.
In the 203+-lb division, Cody Brooks of Detroit defeated Miguel Toribio-Matias, representing New York Metro, in a speed vs. power matchup.
Round one started at a frenetic pace, with both fighters trading combinations. Midway through the round, Brooks slowed the pace by jabbing from long range and moving around the ring. Toribio-Matias remained on the front-foot attack, looking to land decisive blows.
The pace of the fight picked back up at the start of round two as both fighters traded combinations to the head and body on the inside.
The hometown crowd encouraged Brooks with “Let’s go Detroit!” chants. Brooks fired fast combinations in close-range but Toribio-Matias continued the forward pressure.
Brooks started the third round by jabbing from a distance and moving around the ring against the bigger fighter.
Toribio-Matias loaded up, throwing hard shots to the head, but Brooks responded with his own combination every time he took one. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Brooks scoring the split decision victory.
Day 3: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
In the 125-lb female division, Jasmine Hampton of Detroit displayed a high level of ring IQ and poise against Celina Carissimi of Buffalo.
Carissimi immediately opened the first round, trying to close the distance and throw combinations to the head.
Hampton controlled the pace and distance almost exclusively with her jab, aiming to the head and body.
Carissimi continued throwing combinations throughout the round, but Hampton countered with a sharp check hook whenever she got too close.
Midway through the round, Hampton landed a powerful one-two that backed Carissimi up. The counters and jabs made Carissimi tentative to throw punches towards the end of the round.
Hampton picked up where she left off in round two, using the jab to control the pace and distance of the fight. Carissimi had no answer for Hampton’s jab but continued with the forward attack.
Towards the end of the round, Hampton fired two straight left hands, prompting a standing eight-count.
In round three, Hampton continued dominating the fight. She picked her shots well and countered to the body when her opponent got in close range. Hampton landed seemingly everything she wanted, but Carissimi showed great heart.
Hampton got the better of the punch exchanges throughout the round. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Hampton scoring a split-decision victory.
In the 156-lb division, Jirair Thompson of Detroit delivered an exciting performance in what may have been the fight of the night against Joseph Almajdi of Texas.
Round one opened with a feel-out process. Both fighters jabbed at long ranges, trying to find the optimal range and timing.
As both fighters succeeded on the outside, the fight moved to mid and close range, where they traded combinations to close the round.
To start round two, the pace slowed down, with both fighters jabbing from long range. Midway through the round, Thompson unleashed a huge overhand left that dropped Almajdi to the canvas.
He quickly stood up, but Thompson followed with a barrage of punches.
Almajdi fought back hard through the end of the round, but Thompson had all of the momentum. Thompson picked up where he left off in round three, pursuing his opponent with relentless combinations.
Almajdi kept composure and fired back combinations of his own. The final round was a back-and-forth battle, with both trading blows until the final bell. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Thompson scoring the split decision victory.
In the 203+-lb division, Cody Brooks of Detroit performed thrillingly against Malik Walker of Chicago.
Brooks started round one by jabbing and using movement to avoid punches. He quickly found success countering with a check hook and uppercut. Walker remained aggressive, stalking to load up for a big shot.
Brooks’ offense opened up in round two, starting with the jab. As Brooks jabbed his way in, he landed combinations on the inside and pushed Walker back to the ropes.
It seemed as if Walker was getting tired, and Brooks was beginning to warm up. “Let’s Go, Detroit!” chants rang out from the hometown crowd, eager to see Brooks close the show. Walker showed heart by continuing to fight back, but Brooks overwhelmed him with forward pressure.
In round three, it seemed as if Brooks had worn his opponent down. Punching in high volume, Brooks picked up the pace as “Let’s Go Detroit!” chants came from the crowd again.
Brooks had success landing the uppercut on the inside. The forward pressure was too much for Walker to handle, but he fought back until the final bell. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Brooks scoring the unanimous decision victory.
In the 125-lb division, Thomas Covington of Detroit soundly defeated his opponent, Luis Garcia of Indiana.
From the opening bell, one thing is evident in the fight. Covington’s great speed advantage gave him the upper hand in this matchup. Covington stepped to his opponent and fired combinations.
Garcia couldn’t defend Covington’s attacks, and he couldn’t land many punches due to Covington’s slick movement and defense. Covington’s speedy combinations to the head and body started to wear his opponent down.
In round two, Covington picked up where he left off, landing a big left hand at the start of the round.
The speed difference remained the theme as Covington landed combinations to the head and body seemingly whenever he wanted. Garcia tried to fire back with his combinations but couldn’t land many punches again.
In the final round, Covington started the round by jabbing and moving around the ring. Covington routinely countered Garcia with the check hook as he lunged in.
Midway through, Covington started ramping up the pressure with lightning-fast combinations to the head and body. The speed difference seemed to make Garcia tentative about throwing punches.
Covington closed the round by landing hard shots through Garcia’s high guard. Garcia still marched forward, trying to close the distance and land a big shot, but Covington’s defense was too good.
The bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Covington scoring a unanimous decision victory.
Thomas Covington, Jasmine Hampton, Cody Brooks, and Jirair Thompson advanced to the quarterfinals, which begins Thursday (May 16).