Jefferson Street boxers take championships at 77th Annual East Texas Golden Gloves Tournament

Jefferson Street boxers take championships at 77th Annual East Texas Golden Gloves Tournament

KAUFMAN, Texas — Several Jefferson Street Boxing Club boxers took home championships at the 77th Annual East Texas Golden Gloves Tournament earlier this month.

KAUFMAN, Texas — Several Jefferson Street Boxing Club boxers took home championships at the 77th Annual East Texas Golden Gloves Tournament earlier this month.

The Jefferson Street Boxing Club opened last year as a community outreach program to give Kaufman County area kids a place to learn discipline and structure — values lacking in today’s society, according to co-founder Jeremy Melton.

Melton opened the gym with co-founder Drew Peterson in partnership with local business owner Wendy Thomas.

“Primarily, our mission is to be a youth program providing boxing instruction, bible study, and academic tutoring,” Jefferson Street Boxing Club’s website states. “More broadly, the club exists as a place to fight the modern plagues of poverty, anxiety, depression, despair, disease, obesity, addiction, and spiritual trauma.”

The young boxers participated in the East Texas Golden Gloves Tournament earlier this month in Longview, Texas, in the All-Comers Division for first-time boxers with some advancing to the Novice Division as the tournament progressed.

There were no expectations going into the tournament, Melton told inForney.com.

“We were competing against smaller gyms in small east Texas towns which are historically very athletic,” he said. “We certainly didn't expect to leave the tournament with five champions and the only tournament KO.”

Attaining championships were Isaiah Olivares at 65 lbs, Tristain Frazier at 75 lbs, Robert Olivares at 85 lbs, Anthony Resendez at 119 lbs, and Austin Cleveland at 150 lbs, according to Melton.

Resendez had the only tournament KO and the first tournament KO in Jefferson Street Boxing Club history, according to Melton.

Melton says they are excited about the future of the gym and competition in the open division which will allow their boxers to progress into regional tournaments and more.

For more information on the Jefferson Street Boxing Club, visit their website, here, and their Facebook Page, here.