The gym had jumped around different towns, and was washed out by Hurricane Irene at its previous location in Fairfield, N.J. Among their other success stories is Ethan Fitzpatrick, an open class super heavyweight who dropped 150 pounds and won the 2022 Golden Gloves subnovice title. The gym is home to professionals like Nicky Vitone (9-1-1, 7 knockouts) and Steve Moore (7-8, 5 KOs), who routinely lend their experience to the young amateurs. “We’ve got set controlled sparring days, we’ve got set strength and conditioning days, we’ve got set skill days and we have set regular offensive punch conditioning days on the punching bag, speed bag and mitts.” We don’t run classes,” said Aces Boxing Club head trainer and owner Joe Zabry. The Morris-county based gym runs an amateur show almost every month, providing their fighters – and other amateurs around the region – with plenty of opportunities to progress their career.Īside from being the busiest local amateur promoter, Aces Boxing Club is mass producing fighters using a formula that breaks away from the traditional class format. It makes them more responsible,” said Colon, whose son leads by example after earning a scholarship to Rutgers University.Īside from boxing, the recreation center also offers swimming and ice hockey, for those looking to cool down.Ĭhances are that, if you semi-regularly attend amateur boxing events in New Jersey, you’ve been to Aces Boxing Club at least once. Now all of the boxers are on honor roll, mostly due to the discipline from boxing. “Most of the kids that we have never had good grades before. Trainer Keith Colon says that kids must do their homework before gloving up for their workouts. The quotes from famous writers along the wall are indicative of how the program encourages excellence outside the gym, as well. The gym is approximately 400 square foot large, with a 20×20 ring, about a dozen punching bags, plus treadmills and exercise bikes. Among the pros at the gym is Jordan Rosario, a tough journeyman who also assists in training with the kids program, while top amateur Jasai Kirkpatrick is among those getting in their work there. The gym has built up a reputation that extends beyond Newark, with Colon’s son, also named Keith Colon, becoming one of Puerto Rico’s top amateurs. The program was started by trainers Keith Colon and Mike Steadman at another location, but relocated to the Ironbound Recreation Center after their previous location shut down. Named for the section of Newark where the gym is located, the Ironbound Boxing Academy has been open for the last eight years, providing boxing training to the area’s youth free of charge. Who knows? You might end up training alongside the next champion, or even becoming the gym’s next great fighter. There are many great gyms in the state, but here is a look at a few of those that stand out. If you have boxing experience, you can even volunteer your time after work at a community boxing gym to share your knowledge with someone who could use it. You can buy a ticket to a pro fight, preferably from a local boxer who relies on sales to finance his career, or you can attend an amateur show, which often serves as a fundraiser for a local boxing program. There are more ways to support your local boxing scene than by just signing up for a gym membership. There are the historical greats like Jersey Joe Walcott and Dwight Muhammad Qawi, and, more recently, world champions like Shakur Stevenson who have risen up through the local amateur scene to international fame.Īfter a lull during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey amateur boxing scene is once again thriving, with a show almost every other week, while the pro game heats up with smaller shows in Atlantic City and a few local promoters doing semi-regular events in North Jersey. The Garden State more than holds its own on the national stage as a boxing state. Whether you’re looking to lose some weight, learn self defense or want to become a competitive boxer, there’s no better time than now to join a boxing gym. The tournament runs from March 10 to April 15, and will give over 200 boxers the chance to shine on what may be their first stages. It’s Golden Gloves season in New Jersey, which means boxers are stepping up their training in hopes of becoming immortalized as a champion. From Mahwah to Millville, the buzz is palpable in boxing gyms across the Garden State.
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