Chicago’s Golden Gloves boxing tournament kicked off its 100th year of running last week. Boxers from all over the city congregated at the Cicero Stadium at 19th and Laramie Avenue in Cicero Illinois last week for one of Chicago’s favorite sporting events. There are a lot of people in the area that help Chicago’s Golden Gloves run, from ticket stand workers to the people selling the Golden Gloves merchandise. There are also many individuals who are there to represent the boxers, from coaching to public relations specialists.
Coaching Future Champions
Shaun Tallon, 38, was very excited about the start of the 100th year of the Golden Gloves. Tallon, who is the President of the USA Boxing Illinois Association, was there to watch the amateur boxers kick off their time at the Golden Gloves, as he did not have any boxers in the event that day.
“So essentially I oversee Illinois, from Iowa to Indiana, Wisconsin to just south of Springfield,” said Tallon.
I oversee all the amateur boxing that happens in that area from officiating to young men punching each other in the face right now in the ring.
Tallon has a lot of ground to cover over the course of Chicago’s Golden Gloves. Especially since this event is the largest non-national tournament event in the country.
“I came up then as a boxer myself and I fought in this tournament myself and so it’s kind of like you when you come up in it you’re used to it,” said Tallon.
But overall it’s just a normal day of cracking jokes with people you’ve known for 20/30 years.
Tallon Background
Tallon started coaching in 2003, three years before he quit boxing himself. Through balancing both boxing, coaching, and a boxing-related injury he found coaching was truly his passion.
“I found my passion more in coaching. And, you know, getting those kids their first matches, their first wins. To me that was more pleasurable than winning,” said Tallon.
The Stakes Are High
From boxers to family to coaches, there’s electricity in the air when this tournament comes. Tallon trains kids for years in the sport so that they can have a chance of winning the tournament. Winning the tournament, also, could mean a spot in the Olympics, so the fight is on for everybody.
“People don’t just show up to this tournament to box. Some of them [have] either been doing very strict training for the last six months just to prepare for this tournament. The open elite division is trying to qualify for the Olympics,” said Tallon.
You know, some of them have been boxing since they were eight years old, and they’re 20 now. A lot of experience. I mean, essentially you could be looking at one of the future world champions in the ring right now.
Fighters in and Out of the Ring
So what’s it like being a coach to boxers who compete in a tournament like this? Tallon says it takes fighters to fight, in and out of the ring.
“There’s a lot of Type A personalities. Like people that are willing to go out there. We all come from a fighting background. So we’re gonna tell everybody, ‘I’ll never shy away from an argument or a fight, it’s just not in me’ and it’s not in none of these people either,” said Tallon.
That’s where you get a lot of butting heads, and stuff like that.
Not without the love of the sport, though, and love for each other.
“At the end of the day, we’re all here for the same reason. It’s to help out the young men and women in the sport and hopefully make some of their dreams come true,” said Tallon.
Written by Caroline Buehler
Images Courtesy of TNS Staff
