By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
The final night of the 2024 Golden Gloves produced plenty of epic matches as state titles were on the line as well as trips to the Golden Gloves National Tournament for winners in the novice divisions.
Several West Michigan boxers are among those headed to the national tournament in Detroit after coming away with state titles at the finals that took place at the 4 Mile Showplace.
All open division boxers advance to the Golden Gloves National Tournament of Champions from May 13-18 at Huntington Place in Detroit.
Twins Mike and Michael Guzman grab state titles
Two of those fighters come from the same household as twins Mike and Michael Guzman from Michigan Golden Gloves Association (MGGA) completed the `Guzman takeover’ by winning state titles.
Mike Guzman won his title by coming away with a decision against Joshua Riley of Flint Town Boxing in the 139-pound novice final. Mike’s brother Michael earlier won his title in a walkover at 125 pounds.
“I said when the tournament started that it would be a Guzman takeover,” said Mike Guzman. “It feels great. It went exactly as I predicted it would.”
Guzman kept a constant pressure on Riley throughout the bout that included plenty of body shots.
“My plan was to go to the body,” Guzman said. “If you kill the body the head will die. I just wanted to keep hammering away at the body.”
A pair of MGGA veterans also added to their collection of state titles as Guillermo Mercado won a fourth state title, while Ulysses Campos won a fifth state title.
Mercado won the 112-pound novice title in a big way as he defeated Joseph Swartz of Riverside Sports Academy when the referee stopped the bout in the second round.
Mercado came out applying heavy pressure in the first round and had Swartz in trouble at the end of the first round. Mercado continued the barrage in the second round before the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
“This one was the most important one,” Mercado said. “This is my last year as an amateur and I wanted to go out with a knockout. I am going to make my pro debut after the nationals and I wanted to win this one to go out in style. This couldn’t have gone any better.”
Campos claimed his fifth state title when he claimed a decision against Jaylen Nichols of 475 Elite. The match was a slugfest throughout with the taller Nichols presenting a challenge to the veteran Campos.
“This feels pretty good,” Campos said. “No matter if it is the first one or the fifth one, it always feels great to win an open division title. He (Nichols) had some reach and he’s an experienced fighter. He knew what he was doing in the ring. I knew I had to do work on the inside and stay busy.”
Gentle Gibson gets first win over “Junior” Rios to advance
One of the premier bouts of the evening came in the 132-pound open final. That was where five-time state champion Aneudy “Junior” Rios was looking to win a sixth state title against Gentle Gibson of Kalamazoo. Rios defeated Gibson in the West Michigan finals last week and also defeated Gibson at both the Michigan and the West Michigan state finals last year. In a bout that featured non-stop action from start to finish, Gibson came away with the decision to claim his first-ever win against Rios and earn a trip to the national tournament.
“He beat me three out of four times and every one of them were close,” Gibson said. “He has made me a better fighter. I respect him a lot. They say iron sharpens iron and that is what we’ve been for each other. This is the first time I’ve beaten him and this was the one for all the marbles. I would rather have lost to him last week than this week.”
EGR graduate Wyatt Alvarez wins first-ever state title
Another rematch from last week’s West Michigan finals came at 165 pounds where Wyatt Alvarez of PK Boxing won a decision against Michael Lynn III of Team Glass of Lansing. Like last week, the two boxers put on an entertaining show with plenty of punches thrown. Alvarez, a 2023 graduate of East Grand Rapids, however, applied more steady pressure and came away with the win.
“I knew he would come out and put the pressure on,” Alvarez said. “I knew I had to respond with a lot of pressure and throw a lot of punches. I just had to keep on punching.”
After winning his first-ever West Michigan title last week, Alvarez added a state title and is headed to Detroit for nationals.
Also claiming open titles were Nicholas Young of Flint Town Boxing at 156 pounds, Solomon Jagun of Gideon Boxing at 203 pounds and Sardius Simmons of Ultimate Boxing Club at heavyweight.
A total of nine elite novice championships also took place to start the evening of boxing off.
Forest Hills Eastern grad Nasier Harris gets state title at 156-pound novice
In one of the most exciting novice matches, Nasier Harris of MGGA hooked up with Gohan Estevez Marte of PK Boxing in a rematch of the West Michigan finals at 156 pounds. In what proved to be another three-round slugfest that resembled their last bout, Harris again came away with a decision.
“It was a hard fight and I feel I could’ve done better,” Harris said. “He was a little more elusive this time and he put a little more pressure on me. I think that my jab made the difference for me. Winning this title feels great. I worked hard for this.”
West Michigan boxers also won novice titles at 132 and 139 pounds. At 132 pounds, Stephen Ramirez won a rematch when he claimed a decision against Davone Jones of Lansing Crown Boxing. At 139 pounds, DreAun Ellis of the Kalamazoo Boxing Club earned a decision against Vincente Jezrrel Mendoza Castro of Zuniga Boxing.
At 125 pounds, Daniel Espinoza of Bay City won a decision against Dominique Suggs of Flint Boxing Club. At 147 pounds, Joseph Gossett of Saginaw Boxing claimed a decision against Karon Cross of MGGA.
A pair of Lansing boxers also claimed novice championships. At 165 pounds, Ramadhani Haji of Team Glass won a decision against Keegan Morrissey of Gideon Boxing Club. At 203 pounds, D’Angelo Williams of Team Glass won a decision against Jaylen Milton-Cofield of Saginaw Boxing.
At 176 pounds, Kyree Wiggins of Flint Town Boxing won a decision against David Venn of Lansing Crown Boxing. In the novice heavyweight division, Devon Dear of Torque Boxing in Sault Ste. Marie made the long trip south pay off as he defeated Daonte Johnson of Riverside Sports Academy by a decision.
New venue next year
Local Golden Gloves fans also heard the news at Saturday’s finals that next year’s West Michigan and state finals will take place at Aquinas College Fieldhouse.
