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      Sports April 28, 2000  RSS feed

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      Howell PAL

      will host Diamond Gloves card

      C

      hris Hill can tell from the first time that he sees a would-be boxer at the Howell Police Athletic League Boxing Club if that boxer is going to last, or quickly turn around and leave.

      "The first thing we do is have them jump rope for three rounds, run the tires and hit the heavy bag," said Hill, a patrolman in the Howell Police Department and the director of the Howell PAL Club. "We have them do that before they ever step into the ring. We want to make sure they are in shape and ready to box. I’ve seen a lot of kids leave before they’re done jumping rope. We do these drills to find out who’s serious about boxing and who is not."

      The Howell PAL Boxing Club has been successful over the years not only in producing Golden Gloves winners and some pros, most notably Sal Lopez from Howell, Brick’s Frank Savannah and Philip Thrasher from Asbury Park, but in keeping teen-agers off the streets and building a rapport with the police. There is a steady stream of youngsters who make their way to the PAL facilities on West Farms Road Monday through Friday for workouts that begin at 5 p.m.

      "Boxing gives kids self-respect and they learn how to protect themselves," Hill pointed out. "Most come to the gym to learn how to box and defend themselves. What keeps them coming back is the camaraderie they share with the other boxers. We get boxers from all over and it’s a chance for the kids to meet kids from other towns and get to know them."

      Photographs featuring the unique personalities of boxing, such as impresario Don King (above), are on display through the end of the month at Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan. The photos were taken by Freehold resident Henry F. Kennedy and his son, Alexander, who is a junior at Freehold Borough High School. Photographs featuring the unique personalities of boxing, such as impresario Don King (above), are on display through the end of the month at Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan. The photos were taken by Freehold resident Henry F. Kennedy and his son, Alexander, who is a junior at Freehold Borough High School.

      The teens also have a chance to see police through a different lens, which is a bonus for both.

      "Kids come in with the wrong perception of police officers," explained Hill. "They get to see us in a different environment at the boxing club and they leave with a different perception."

      On April 29, most of the club’s boxers will be in action when the Howell PAL presents Diamond Gloves action at Howell High School, Squankum-Yellowbrook Road, at 7 p.m. There will be 25 to 30 matches on the card, featuring boxers making their amateur debut and amateurs who are trying to qualify for the national championships later this year.

      The Diamond Gloves are different from the Golden Gloves because it is an open competition. Boxers can make their amateur debuts here. Boxers ranging in age from 12 to 30 will be in action on Saturday in weight classes that begin at 94 pounds and go up to heavyweight. Boxers will be classified by their weight and experience. No one making his debut is going to box against someone who has fought before.

      The boxing card is being held to raise funds for the Howell PAL Boxing Club so it can send its team to the National PAL Championships in Disney World, Orlando, Fla., this summer. Last year, the club sent three boxers to the national championships.

      Among the Howell PAL Boxing Club boxers who will be in action on Saturday night are Freehold’s Greg Quarantello and Morgan Quinones (who is making his debut); Lakewood’s Andrew Romano, who at age 12 will be the youngest fighter on the card; Giovanni Mercedes of Long Branch, Greg Eckman of Wall, who is making his debut; and Stanley Davis of Hightstown, who also is making his debut.

      Boxing celebrities will be on hand Saturday night. Howard Davis, an Olympic champion for the United States in 1984, will be at Howell with his club team from North Jersey. Also expected to be in Howell is former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney, who runs a club in Long Island that is sending some of its boxers to the competition.

      Tickets for the Diamond Gloves are $12 ringside and $10 general admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Howell PAL at (732) 938-9219.