Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio Youth of the Year Takes South Texas Regional Honors
San Antonio -- Feb. 2, 2007

Top amateur boxers from around South Texas will face off in the 2007 Regional Golden Gloves Tournament in San Antonio, Feb. 20-24, at 7 p.m. each evening. The preliminary competition will be held Feb. 20-22 and the Novice Championship will be held Feb. 23 at the Woodlawn Gym, 1103 Cincinnati. The Open Championship will be held Feb. 24 at the Alzafar Shrine Temple, 901 North Loop 1604 West.

Admission is $10 for the preliminary competition and $12 for the Novice Championship and the Open Championship. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the positive youth development programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, ranging from the arts and education to technology and sports.

Approximately 150 male and female boxers ages 17 to 34 will compete in 11 weight classes. Tournament winners go on to compete in the state Golden Gloves finals in Fort Worth, Feb. 28-March 3. Among this year's contenders is returning Texas state champion Mohammed Siddiqui, 112 lbs. Flyweight, from the Pan Am Boxing Club in Austin.

"The Golden Gloves program offers an opportunity for our youth to learn positive life skills such as discipline, commitment and the importance of working toward goals," said Jim Watson, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. "Preparing for and competing in the Golden Gloves offers our youth a constructive alternative to the many temptations of street-related activities, such as drugs and gangs. What's more, participation in this sport helps them develop lifelong social and physical abilities."

Tournament sponsors include R&L Foods, Time Warner, La Prensa, BudCo, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, Advantage Rent a Car, the Sunrise Rotary Club, Joesph's Men's Wear and Al's Formal Wear.

About Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. The contest is sponsored by the Golden Gloves Association of America, Inc., which currently has 30 franchises spanning from New England to Hawaii. State winners go on to compete in the national competition, called the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

The Golden Gloves began in 1923 when Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, put together an amateur boxing tournament to assist young boxers and promote amateur competition. Each weight division winner received a small golden glove as an award. More than 400 local boxers competed in that first tournament, which was held in the old Chicago Stadium. The popularity of the first event was so widespread that soon newspapers around the country began sponsoring tournaments in other areas and the champions traveled to New York and Chicago for national competition.

Many former Golden Glove winners have gone on to become outstanding boxers and role models. Former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Joe Louis, was a Golden Gloves champion in 1934. Other Golden Gloves champions include Muhammed Ali (1960), Sugar Ray Leonard (1973), Marvin "Marvelous" Hagler (1973), Michael Spinks (1974), Evander Holyfield (1984) and Oscar De La Hoya (1989). San Antonio's own Jesse James Leija, "The Texas Tornado," was a San Antonio Golden Gloves Champion.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio
Founded in 1939, the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio serves more than 6,000 members annually at five branch locations and several satellite locations. The Clubs provide after school and summer program that develop talents, values and skills in youth ages six to 18, paying particular attention to those who need these programs most. As a result of the Clubs programs, young people are inspired and enabled to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. For more information, visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio website at: www.bgcsatx.org.